During loading response, the external ankle moment is what?

During loading response, the external ankle moment is what?

• A. Dorsiflexion
• B. Inversion
• C. Hip flexion
• D. Plantarflexion

Answer: (D)

During loading response, the body weight transfer creates a torque about the ankle that tends to push the foot into plantarflexion. The ground reaction force acts in a way that makes the external ankle moment plantarflex. To control this and keep the tibia moving smoothly over the foot, the dorsiflexors (like the tibialis anterior) work eccentrically to counteract that plantarflexion moment, allowing a controlled, gradual progression of the body's forward motion. So the best description of the external ankle moment in this phase is plantarflexion. Dorsiflexion would be the opposite torque, and inversion or hip flexion don’t describe the sagittal-plane ankle moment relevant here.

During loading response, the body weight transfer creates a torque about the ankle that tends to push the foot into plantarflexion. The ground reaction force acts in a way that makes the external ankle moment plantarflex. To control this and keep the tibia moving smoothly over the foot, the dorsiflexors (like the tibialis anterior) work eccentrically to counteract that plantarflexion moment, allowing a controlled, gradual progression of the body's forward motion.

So the best description of the external ankle moment in this phase is plantarflexion. Dorsiflexion would be the opposite torque, and inversion or hip flexion don’t describe the sagittal-plane ankle moment relevant here.