Effects of hip joint orientation and skeletal torsion on human locomotor biomechanics and evolution
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Bipedal locomotion is a defining feature of the human lineage. However, the form of bipedality in different hominin taxa and the timing of emergence of a human-like striding bipedal gait have long been a subject of debate. Morphological features of the hip and pelvis, among other lines of evidence, have been used to argue for kinematically different gaits in Australopithecus, early Homo, and Neanderthals compared to modern humans. However, limited comparison of morphology and locomotor performance in living humans has left a weak base upon which to build hypotheses of performance from morphology in fossil hominins. In this thesis, I address these problems through several analyses that quantify the 3D orientation of the hip joint and associated morphologies and directly evaluate their relationships with transverse plane kinematics during walking. Results of the studies in this dissertation suggest that the 3D orientation of the acetabulum is a derived feature of the hominin pelvis that can likely be used to interpret locomotor behavior in sufficiently complete fossils but, within hominins, suggest caution in interpretations of behavior based on femoral version and other skeletal torsion features. Individually, femoral version, tibial torsion, acetabular version, and iliac blade orientation are not correlated with transverse plane walking kinematics in this sample. However, the correlation between femoral version and tibial torsion suggests that there may be compensatory effects for lower limb skeletal torsion, but the precise mechanisms driving these effects remains to be seen. The correlation between femoral anteversion and lateral iliac blade rotation indicates that femoral version may be a key feature of the hominin hip that could affect mechanics beyond ranges of internal and external rotation and should be considered in future analyses of hominin hip mechanics.
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Ph. D.