Joint impedance decreases during movement initiation

The mechanical properties of the joint influence how we interact with our environment and hence are important in the control of both posture and movement. Many studies have investigated how the mechanical properties - specifically the impedance - of different joints vary with different postural tasks. However, studies on how joint impedance varies with movement remain limited. The few studies that have investigated how impedance varies with movement have found that impedance is lower during movement than during posture. In this study we investigated how impedance changed as people transitioned from a postural task to a movement task. We found that subjects´ joint impedances decreased at the initiation of movement, prior to increasing at the cessation of movement. This decrease in impedance occurred even though the subjects´ torque and EMG levels increased. These findings suggest that during movement the central nervous system may control joint impedance independently of muscle activation.