This Research Topic is Volume II of a series. The previous volume, which has attracted over 33,000 views can be found here:
Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to Characterize Gait and Posture Disturbances in Aging and Related Diseases Aging introduces disturbances to the gait and posture of individuals. Such alterations can originate or result from a wide range of causes making it challenging to understand when modifications are related to pathological or physiological causes. Many disciplines come together to perform this kind of analysis (e.g. computational and experimental mechanics, image processing, medicine, biology, physiology, machine learning, and data science). Gait analysis is particularly sensitive to the interactions of different disciplines. This technique allows the study of human movements, but only through a multidisciplinary approach, it is possible to infer relations of causation. Narrow studies focusing on specific techniques are important to develop the fundamental tools required to study movement. In recent years, significant methodological advancements have been independently made in these fields. However, to cross the borders of current science and develop consistent results any new study needs to set interdisciplinary goals. An inclusive approach merging multiple aspects would be key in targeting pharmacological or rehabilitation interventions and improving patient care as a whole.
These studies need to take into consideration multiple factors, such as the interaction between tissue structure and loads at the joints, or clinical, biological, and cognitive factors that may influence or are influenced by gait and posture.
In our previous collection, we brought together 12 peer-reviewed papers that addressed the two main factors that influence the analysis of human motion: the interaction of gait with cognitive conditions and the integration of multiple techniques for gait analysis. We illustrated how understanding the role that specific factors, not directly related to the motor system, can have on the final analysis of human motion is highly relevant for the interpretation of our results.
We, therefore, present a new research topic where we give again space to these topics, with a new insight.
The interaction between gait and cognitive conditions was shown to have an impact on the occurrence of aging-related diseases. However, pathologies that have always been associated with aging, like back pain, neck pain, and even arthrosis, are appearing earlier in life, even in adolescents. The cognitive and emotional conditions of subjects should be considered while studying gait and posture, to promote a holistic approach to several musculoskeletal pathologies. Such a holistic approach to the study of human posture and movement has the potential to increase the contextualization of each study, and in turn to increase the repeatability and reliability of the studies.
The current Research Topic covers Original Research articles aiming to connect different fields, giving a wider interpretation of gait and posture analysis in aging, including the simultaneous analysis of data coming from several disciplines like tissue imaging, computational modeling, and biological studies, and how these interact to create a wider view of human motion. Literature reviews focusing on the interaction between different musculoskeletal disciplines will also be considered for publication. Finally, tools developed with the specific aim to perform multidisciplinary analysis can be considered.
Analysis techniques can be, but are not limited to:
• Cross-disciplinary approaches to musculoskeletal problems
• Fusion of gait and posture analysis with imaging data
• Interaction of gait and posture and computational modeling
• Dynamic systems
• Machine learning approach
• Multifactorial analysis
• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy
• Electroencephalogram
• Resting-State Functional MRI
Important Note: All submissions/contributions to this Research Topic must be in line with the scope of the journal/section they are submitted to. While authors are encouraged to draw from other disciplines to enrich their papers where relevant, they must ensure papers fall within the scope of the journal/section, as expressed in its mission statement.
We would like to acknowledge Dr. Giorgio Davico as Coordinator, and for his contribution to the preparation of this Research Topic.