GAITWay’s Research Programme

GAITWay’s research activities focus on two areas:

Biomechanics of walking

This focuses on two questions. “Why do we walk the way we do?” and “Why do our patients walk the way they do?” Despite over a hundred years research into walking there is still no over-arching theory about why we walk the way we do that can be used as a theoretical basis for rehabilitation programmes. This work focuses on applications on both  modelling and making measurements on healthy people and those with a range of conditions that affect walking.

Appropriately complex modelling

Current computer modelling of walking divides into two extremes. One group tend to use models that are too simple to give meaningful insight into how real people walk. The other group use models that are extremely complex and it is equally difficult about how the results can be applied to help different patient groups. Mike McGrath is studying a PhD to try and develop what we call “appropriately complex” models of walking. He is building these incrementally from very simple models in the expectation that as we understand each step towards increasing complexity we will have a better understanding of why the models give the result they do and a better understanding of their strengths and limitations.

Biomechanics of trans-femoral amputee gait

This project is being conducted in collaboration with the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court near Epsom, Surrey. We plan to measure the walking pattern of young active amputees who have had trans-femoral amputations. Such people tend to require about 60% more energy to walk than other people. We intend to analyse their walking pattern to determine why the walking is so inefficient in the hope that the information will lead to guidelines for making more efficient artificial limbs and also to inform the design of new rehabilitation programmes.

Measuring walking

Professor Baker has a long-standing interest in improving the measurement techniques used in gait analysis in order that they be more accurate and easier to use. It is hoped that two PhD students will start in September working on projects using electromyography (EMG). One will look at ways of improving measurements and developing an understanding of how muscle function varies between healthy people and those who have difficulty walking for a range of reasons. The other will investigate the correspondence between EMG measurements and joint moments calculated using inverse dynamics.