Editing Gait (section)

==Energy-based gait classification==
While gaits can be classified by footfall, new work involving whole-body [[kinematics]] and force-plate records has given rise to an alternative classification scheme, based on the mechanics of the [[Motion (physics)|movement]]. In this scheme, movements are divided into walking and running. Walking gaits are all characterized by a "vaulting" movement of the body over the legs, frequently described as an inverted pendulum (displaying fluctuations in kinetic and [[potential energy]] which are out of phase), a mechanism described by [[Giovanni Cavagna]]. In running, the kinetic and potential energy fluctuate in-phase, and the energy change is passed on to [[muscle]]s, [[bone]]s, [[tendon]]s and [[ligament]]s acting as springs (thus it is described by the [[Harmonic oscillator|spring-mass model]]).