Foot-Ankle Complex: Mechanisms Underpinning its Stability and Control

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Walking is a task frequently performed by most humans with seemingly effortless ease. On occasion, however, individuals may lose functionality to execute this apparently simple task. The foot and ankle play an essential role in how we interact with the ground to walk and stabilize our body to remain upright. The foot and ankle are vastly complex structures consisting of multiple bones, muscles, and ligaments and are the least biomechanically understood structures in the human body (referred to as the foot-ankle complex hereafter). My proposed research program aims to provide a mechanistic understanding of how the foot-ankle complex contributes to stability of the entire body when humans perform seemingly simple tasks such as walking. Although the foot-ankle complex is essential for stable locomotion, we currently do not have a comprehensive understanding of how the foot-ankle complex contributes to stabilization of the entire body during locomotor tasks. Further to this issue is that an understanding of how certain muscles and ligaments stabilize the foot-ankle complex in even the simplest of movements remains unresolved. My proposed research program aims to fill these gaps in our understanding by: a) fundamentally understanding how structures like muscles and ligaments contribute to stabilization of the foot-ankle complex; b) developing objective assessments of all factors affecting foot-ankle complex stability; and c) creating novel methods to modify stabilization of this structure. Using a combination of cutting-edge electromyography techniques, musculoskeletal modelling, robotics, 3D printing, and biofeedback systems, this research program will perform a progressive study of what contributes to stability of the foot-ankle complex and use this information to improve stabilization of this structure. My research program will advance and benefit the biomechanics and neurophysiology research fields because it will produce a working model of foot-ankle complex stability that will be built in a popular open source modelling software, which will be openly available to other human locomotion researchers throughout Canada and internationally. There is a growing interest in improving balance control or strength of muscles to ultimately improve whole body stability during locomotion. This previous work has been met with some success and knowledge from this proposed research program can add to these concerted efforts. Before researchers can fully understand how the foot-ankle complex contributes to stabilization of the entire body during movement tasks such as walking, the rudimentary function and control of this structure must be established. My research program will provide that vital understanding, leading to broader implications for Canadian researchers and technology development for industries that rely on knowledge of how the foot-ankle complex functions to produce stable locomotion.