Study how humans develop compensation strategies to deal with reductions in physical capacity, sensory systems, and altered reinforcement schemes.
Theoretically, each person could move with distinct muscle recruitments, yet humans move with stereotypical movement patterns and as they age, their movements change; elderly adults move differently to young adults. The question is whether this is this due to an altered reinforcement scheme, altered sensory inputs, or due to alteration in the neuromusculoskeletal systems, so that it is no longer optimal or possible to execute the same movement strategies. In this research we zoom into the fundamentals of human movement to understand when and why a movement is (sub)optimal. This involves studying how humans solve for functional redundancy and how much decline in the physiological redundancy can be tolerated before movement limitations arise.
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Why do older adults stand up differently to young adults?
van der Kruk, E, Strutton, P., Koizia L.J. , Fertleman, M. ,Reilly P. , Bull, A.M.J. (2022)
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Age-related compensation: Neuromusculoskeletal capacity, reserve, and movement objectives
van der Kruk, E., Silverman, A. K., Koizia, L., Reilly, P., Fertleman, M., & Bull, A. M. (2021).
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Compensation due to age-related decline in sit-to-stand and sit-to-walk
Van der Kruk, E., Anne K. Silverman, Peter Reilly, Anthony M.J. Bull (2021).
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Predictability of fall risk assessments in community-dwelling older adults: a scoping review
NFJ Waterval, CM Claassen, FCT van der Helm, E van der Kruk (2023)
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Why do older adults have their feet closer together than young adults while rising from a chair?
N. Smit, A.M.J. Bull, E. van der Kruk (2022).
Abstract, World Conference of Biomechanics, Taipei.
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Why do we sometimes push off on our thighs while standing up?
M. Hendriksen, A.M.J. Bull, F.C.T. van der Helm, E. van der Kruk (2022)
Abstract, World Conference of Biomechanics, Taipei
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Torso movement adaptations to foot position in sit-to-walk.
Miller, M., van der Kruk, E., Silverman, A., (2022)
Abstract, Rocky Mountain American Society of Biomechanics Conference
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Smaller ankle muscle forces during rising reduce ankle joint contact forces after injury
Michael F Miller, Eline van der Kruk, Anne K Silverman (2023).
2023 Graduate Research And Discovery Symposium (GRADS) posters and presentations
Finished graduation projects
Monica Orlandi took on part of this question by replicating and expanding Ralston’s 1958 experiments. She tested seven hypotheses from research spanning over six decades (1958–2023) to understand how our bodies move efficiently as we age. Her work looked at how younger and older adults differ in their movement and energy use, and how things like keeping your head stable or swinging your arms can change the way we walk.
MSc students working on the project
Daphne Onderwater
MSc student – TU Delft
Graduated MSc students
BODIES 