The history of gait analysis before the advent of modern computers.

Full Abstract

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) can be attributed with the earliest recorded comments regarding the manner in which humans walk. It was not until the renaissance that further progress was made through the experiments and theorising of Giovanni Borelli (1608-1679). Although several scientists wrote about walking through the enlightenment period it was the brothers Willhelm (1804-1891) and Eduard (1806-1871) Weber, working in Leipzig who made the next major contribution based on very simple measurements. Both Jules Etienne Marey (1830-1904), working in France, and Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904), working in America, made significant advances in measurement technology. These were developed further by Otto Fischer (1861-1917) in collaboration with Willhelm Braune (1831-1892). The major developments in the early twentieth century were in the development of force plates and the understanding of kinetics. The team headed by Verne Inman (1905-1980) and Howard Eberhart (1906-1993) made major advances in America shortly after the Second War. David Sutherland (1923-2006) and Jacquelin Perry pioneered clinical applications in America and Jurg Baumann (1926-2000) in Europe. It was not until the advent of modern computers that clinical gait analysis became widely available.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Baker, Richard (R);

Affiliation: Hugh Williamson Gait Analysis Service, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. richard.baker(-atsign-)rch.org.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Historical Article; Journal Article

Journal: Gait & posture (Gait Posture), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Sep; vol 26 (issue 3) : pp 331-42

Dates: Created 2007/08/20; Completed 2007/12/13;

PMID: 17306979, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

History of spine biomechanics: part II--from the Renaissance to the 20th century. 30 Jan 2007
Biomechanics. 30 May 2002
History of spine biomechanics: part I--the pre-Greco-Roman, Greco-Roman, and medieval roots of spine biomechanics. 30 Jan 2007
Future of gait analysis: a podiatric medical perspective. 27 Feb 2005
Manohar M. Panjabi: the sixth ISSLS Wiltse Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Stryker recipient. 29 Jun 2005
Motion analysis: a joint centenary. 30 Oct 2004
Augusto Pellegrini (1877-1958): contributions to surgery and prosthetic orthopaedics. 29 Apr 2007
[A. V. Rusakov's ideas on piezoelectric effects in the bones] 30 Dec 1973
[The development of biomechanics in Germany during the last 40 years] 19 Aug 1970
The Hardy Effect. 30 Jan 2006

See 100+ related articles.