The puzzle of the walk-to-run transition in humans

BACKGROUND: The walk-to-run transition, which occurs during gradually increasing locomotion speed, has been addressed in research at least eight decades back.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Why does the walk-to-run transition occur? In the present review, we focus on the reason for the transition, more than on the consequences of it. The latter has historically constituted a primary focus.

METHODS: In the present review, we scrutinize related literature.

RESULTS: We present a unifying conceptual framework of the dynamics of human locomotion. The framework unifies observations of the human walk-to-run transition for providing a common understanding. Further, the framework includes a schematic representation of the dynamic interaction between entities of subsystems of the human body during locomotion and the physical environment. We propose that the moving human body can behave as a dynamic non-linear complex system, which basically functions in a self-organized fashion during locomotion. Further, that the stride rate plays a particular key role for the transition. Finally, we propose that the coincidence between attractor stability and minimum energy turnover during locomotion is a consequence of the evolution of the phenotype of the adult human body and the dynamics of the acute process of self-organization during locomotion.

SIGNIFICANCE: The novel insight from the present work contributes to the academic understanding of human locomotion, including in particular the central behavioural phenomenon of walk-to-run transition. Furthermore, the understanding is relevant for the ongoing work within for example locomotion rehabilitation and development of assistive devices. Regarding the latter, examples could be devices within neurorobotics and exoskeletons where the basic understanding of human locomotion increases the possibility of a successful combination of human and technology.