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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the influence of different walking speeds on shoulder and elbow joint kinematics, specifically focusing on range of motion, angular velocity, and angular acceleration during arm swing. The natural rhythm of human gait was studied to develop an effective mechanical interface, particularly with respect to joint impedance and force controllability. The independent variable in this study was walking speed, operationalized at four levels—3.6 km/h (slow), 4.2 km/h (preferred walking speed, PWS), 5.4 km/h (normal), and 7.2 km/h (fast)—and defined as a within-subject factor. The dependent variables consisted of quantitative kinematic parameters, including joint range of motion (ROM, in degrees), peak and minimum joint angular velocity (deg/s), and peak and minimum joint angular acceleration (deg/s2). For each subject, data from twenty gait cycles were extracted for analysis. The kinematic variables of the shoulder and elbow were analyzed, showing increasing trends as the walking speed increased. As walking speed increases, adequate arm swing contributes to gait stability and energy efficiency. Notably, the ROM of shoulder was slightly reduced at the PWS compared to the slowest speed (3.6 km/h), which may reflect more natural and coordinated limb movements at the PWS. Dynamic covariation of torque patterns in the shoulder and elbow joints was observed, reflecting a synergistic coordination between these joints in response to human body movement.

Details

Title
Kinematic Analysis of Dynamic Coactivation During Arm Swing at the Shoulder and Elbow Joints
Author
Kim Jae Ho 1 ; Hwang Jaejin 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Jung Myung-Chul 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Seung-Min, Mo 4 

 Department of Industrial Safety Management, Suncheon Jeil College, 17, Jeildaehak-gil, Suncheon-si 57997, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea; [email protected] 
 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA; [email protected] 
 Department of Industrial Engineering, Ajou University, 206, World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si 16499, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; [email protected] 
 Department of Occupational Safety and Health Management, Osan University, 45 Cheonghak-ro, Osan-si 18119, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea 
First page
6593
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20763417
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3223873943
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.