Transverse pelvic rotation during quiet human stance

The mechanism of two-legged quiet stance is unclear. This study specifically investigated biomechanical parameters characterising the mechanisms of rotation around the longitudinal axis (parallel to gravitational acceleration, i.e. in the transverse plane parallel to the ground). Subjects (10) were examined while standing quietly on two force platforms which measured the transverse component of the ground reaction torque (GRT). In addition, right and left hip kinematics were acquired by tracking markers in the sagittal plane. The pelvic rotation in the transverse plane (pelvic angle) was then calculated from the anterior-posterior coordinates of the hip markers. We verified the hypothesis that the pelvis generally may be coupled to the ground by a rotational stiffness provided by both legs. Thus, we asked whether the transverse GRT component may be proportional to the pelvic angle. This hypothesis was rejected. However, the transverse GRT component could be identified as one rotational stabilising mechanism which drove the higher-frequency (>1 Hz) deflections of the pelvic angle back to its lower-frequency fraction. The respective stiffness coefficient between transverse GRT component and relative displacement between higher- and lower-frequency pelvic angular fraction was about 2.4 N m/°. Implications for the character and the localisation of active control of body rotation around the longitudinal axis are discussed.