Phases of Gait

1. [noun] stages of Stance Phase A more convenient and precise way to think about the stance phase (foot on the ground) of walking is to consider the five sub-stages that a single foot undergoes (Figure

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2. [noun] they are as follows: Heel strike, Early flatfoot, Late flatfoot, Heel rise, and Toe off. Heel Strike The heel strike phase starts the moment when the heel first touches the ground, and lasts until the whole foot is on the ground (early flatfoot stage). Early flatfoot The beginning of the “early flatfoot” stage is defined as the moment that the whole foot is on the ground. The end of the “early flatfoot” stage occurs when the body’s center of gravity passes over top of the foot. The body’s center of gravity is located approximately in the pelvic area in front of the lower spine, when we stand and walk. The main purpose of the “early flatfoot” stage is to allow the foot to serve as a shock absorber, helping to cushion the force of the body weight landing on the foot. Late flatfoot Once the body’s center of gravity has passed in front of the neutral position, a person is said to be in the late flatfoot stage. The “late flatfoot” stage of gait ends when the heel lifts off the ground. During the “late flatfoot” phase of gait, the foot needs to go from being a flexible shock absorber to being a rigid lever that can serve to propel the body forward. Heel rise As the name suggests, the heel rise phase begins when the heel begins to leave the ground. During this phase, the foot functions as a rigid lever to move the body forward. During this phase of walking, the forces that go through the foot are quite significant: often 2-3x a person’s body weight. This is because the foot creates a lever arm (centered on the ankle), which serves to magnify body weight forces. Given these high forces and considering that the average human takes 3000-5000 steps per day (an active person commonly takes 10,000 steps/day), it is not surprising that the foot can easily develop chronic repetitive stress-related problems, such as metatarsalgia, bunions, posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, and sesamoiditis. Toe off The toe off stage of gait begins as the toes leave the ground. This represents the start of the swing phase

Source: https://footeducation.com/biomechanics-of-walking-gait/