Abstract
In this review, the characteristics of human walking were discussed with special reference to step length, cadence, speed and energy expenditure. For this purpose, the natural walking was distinguished from experimental walking including floor and treadmill walking in a laboratory. The conclusions obtained from this review were as follows.
1) Step lengths in natural and floor walking tend to be greater compared with those obtained during treadmill walking.
2) The older people walk with shorter step length, slower cadence, longer walking cycle and slower speed as compared with the younger people.
3) The sex differences which were consistently found both in natural and experimental walking were higher speed walking with longer step length in men than in women.
4) There exist the regional difference in walk-ing speed and the ethnical difference in gait pattern. In Japan, the people in Osaka and Tokyo seem to walk faster than those in other cities investigated.
5) In natural walking, Japanese walk with shorter step length, higher cadence and faster speed than American. In treadmill walking, the step length of Japanese was shorter than Caucasian by about 5cm at any speed.
6) The degree of shoulder extension increases with the walking speed. At the speeds of 120 and 130m/min, the tall subjects showed the least excursion of shoulder extension.
7) For the prediction of the metabolic costs during experimental walking, an equation was presented from the literature (PANDOLF et al., 1977) which took account of body weight, external load carried, walking speed, nature of terrain and grade.
8) It is estimated that the energy cost of overcoming wind resistance in walking is about 10% of total energy cost at the wind velocity of 5m/sec and 35% at 8m/sec.
