Side-to-side COM displacement during normal gait is approximately what?

Side-to-side COM displacement during normal gait is approximately what?

• A. 1 cm
• B. 15 cm
• C. 10 cm
• D. 4 cm

Answer: (D)

During normal walking, the body's center of mass shifts side to side as weight is transferred from one leg to the other. This mediolateral (side-to-side) excursion is relatively small, around 4 cm in healthy adults. That modest sway keeps balance within the base of support while the leg switches from stance to swing, with the pelvis and trunk helping to smoothly counterbalance the movement. Choices that are much smaller, like 1 cm, don’t reflect the amount of lateral shift needed for stable weight transfer, and values as large as 10 or 15 cm would indicate a much larger sway than what occurs in typical gait, compromising stability.

During normal walking, the body's center of mass shifts side to side as weight is transferred from one leg to the other. This mediolateral (side-to-side) excursion is relatively small, around 4 cm in healthy adults. That modest sway keeps balance within the base of support while the leg switches from stance to swing, with the pelvis and trunk helping to smoothly counterbalance the movement.

Choices that are much smaller, like 1 cm, don’t reflect the amount of lateral shift needed for stable weight transfer, and values as large as 10 or 15 cm would indicate a much larger sway than what occurs in typical gait, compromising stability.