Foot-Ankle Complex: Mechanisms Underpinning its Stability and Control

走路是大多数人经常做的一项任务，看起来毫不费力。然而，有时，个人可能会失去执行这项看似简单的任务的功能。脚和脚踝在我们如何与地面相互作用以行走和稳定我们的身体以保持直立方面起着至关重要的作用。足部和踝关节是非常复杂的结构，由多个骨骼、肌肉和韧带组成，是人体生物力学上理解最少的结构（下文称为足部-踝关节复合体）。我提出的研究计划旨在提供一种机制的理解，即当人类执行看似简单的任务（如走路）时，脚-踝复合体如何促进整个身体的稳定性。虽然足踝复合体对稳定运动至关重要，但我们目前对足踝复合体在运动任务中如何促进整个身体的稳定还没有全面的了解。进一步的问题是，某些肌肉和韧带是如何在最简单的运动中稳定足踝复合体的，这一问题仍未得到解决。我提出的研究计划旨在通过以下方式来填补我们理解中的这些空白：a)从根本上理解肌肉和韧带等结构如何有助于稳定足踝复合体；B)对影响足踝综合体稳定性的所有因素进行客观评估；c)创造新的方法来改变这种结构的稳定性。结合尖端的肌电图技术、肌肉骨骼建模、机器人技术、3D打印和生物反馈系统，该研究项目将对影响脚-踝关节复合物稳定性的因素进行渐进式研究，并利用这些信息来提高该结构的稳定性。我的研究项目将推动和促进生物力学和神经生理学研究领域，因为它将产生一个脚-脚踝复杂稳定性的工作模型，该模型将建立在一个流行的开源建模软件中，该软件将公开提供给加拿大和国际上其他人类运动研究人员。人们对提高平衡控制或肌肉力量以最终提高运动时全身稳定性的兴趣越来越大。以前的工作已经取得了一些成功，从这个拟议的研究项目中获得的知识可以增加这些协同努力。在研究人员完全了解足踝复合体如何在行走等运动任务中稳定整个身体之前，必须建立该结构的基本功能和控制。我的研究项目将提供这一重要的理解，为加拿大的研究人员和依赖于脚-脚踝复杂功能如何产生稳定运动的行业的技术开发带来更广泛的影响。

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.