Dynamic response of human foot and ankle system to vertical vibration (original) (raw)

Shock absorbing capability is an important function of the human foot and ankle system (FAS) since the external load is transferred via FAS to the whole body during locomotion. The studies related to shock absorbing capacity of the human musculoskeletal system have been concentrated at lower limbs and whole body during walking, running, and jumping [3], [6]. Those studies have shown that the impact loading is propagated from the ground reaction through the whole body. In whole body vibration study, the dynamic response of hip, spinal column, hand, shoulder, and head have been extensively studied by analyzing the transmission of the external vibration to the above parts of human body [2], [7]. The resonant frequency of specific parts of human body was determined in these studies. However, studies related to the dynamic response to the external vibration of the FAS generally have been done for the muscle and soft tissue of the lower limbs [1], [4]. Their natural frequency, the stiffne...