Unconstrained Segmental Biomechanics: A Conceptual Framework for Gait Initiation and Locomotor Transitions.

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessPerspective Unconstrained Segmental Biomechanics: A Conceptual Framework for Gait Initiation and Locomotor Transitions by Arianna Fogliata 1,*ORCID,Lorenzo Cantoni 2ORCID,Alessio Gambetta 3,Antinea Ambretti 4 andStefano Tardini 2ORCID 1 Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy 2 Institute of Digital Technologies for Communication, Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), 6900 Lugano, Switzerland 3 Department of Physics, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy 4 Department of Psychological, Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, Università Telematica Pegaso, 80132 Naples, Italy * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Biomechanics 2026, 6(2), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomechanics6020033 (registering DOI) Submission received: 24 February 2026 / Revised: 24 March 2026 / Accepted: 25 March 2026 / Published: 1 April 2026 (This article belongs to the Topic Current Perspectives and Future Directions in Sports Biomechanics) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract Background/Objectives: Traditional biomechanical models describe human locomotion as an articulated chain of rigid segments with constrained degrees of freedom, primarily focusing on kinematic descriptions of movement. While this approach facilitates modelling and teaching, it may limit the representation of internal force transmission and dynamic interactions, particularly during transitional phases such as gait initiation. The objective of this article is to propose a conceptual framework, Unconstrained Segmental Biomechanics (USB), to reinterpret locomotor mechanics beyond rigid joint assumptions. Methods: An exploratory analysis of recent PubMed-indexed publications (2024) and commonly adopted educational references in sport science institutions was conducted to examine how locomotion is conceptually represented and to identify possible models analogous to the framework. The aim was to situate the framework within current modelling approaches rather than to provide a systematic literature evaluation. Results: The exploratory analysis provided an exploratory contextual impression that kinematic representations were more readily identifiable than conceptually analogous models explicitly addressing dynamic intersegmental force transmission. USB is presented as a conceptual framework generating testable biomechanical hypotheses concerning the temporal organisation of intersegmental force transmission during locomotor transitions, including the expectation that during gait initiation gluteus maximus activation precedes observable segmental displacement, that early CoP/GRF changes precede the visible step, and that trunk activation actively contributes to intersegmental force regulation during the transition. Conclusions: USB offers a conceptual framework that enriches the interpretation of gait initiation and locomotor transitions. Future empirical investigations will be necessary to test the biomechanical hypotheses generated by this framework and to evaluate its potential contribution to biomechanics research, education, and applied movement sciences.