Article

Humans walk bipedally, and thus, it is unclear why they swing their arms. In this
paper, we will review the mechanisms and functions of arm swinging in human gait.
First, we discuss the potential advantages of having swinging arms. Second, we go
into the detail on the debate whether arm swing is arising actively or passively,
where we will conclude that while a large part of arm swinging is mechanically
passive, there is an active contribution of muscles (i.e. an activity that is not
merely caused by stretch reflexes). Third, we describe the possible function of
the active muscular contribution to arm swinging in normal gait, and discuss the
possibility that a Central Pattern Generator (CPG) generates this activity.
Fourth, we discuss examples from pathological cases, in which arm swinging is
affected. Moreover, using the ideas presented, we suggest ways in which arm swing
may be used as a therapeutic aid. We conclude that (1) arm swing should be seen
as an integral part of human bipedal gait, arising mostly from passive movements,
which are stabilized by active muscle control, which mostly originates from
locomotor circuits in the central nervous system (2) arm swinging during normal
bipedal gait most likely serves to reduce energy expenditure and (3) arm swinging
may be of therapeutic value.
CI - Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS