Gait stopping.

You are walking to the sink to wash dishes:
Your Brain: “ok, we are about 3 more steps from the sink, you had better slow down … . ok, 2 more steps … 1 more step, this is the last one … . ok, that is it, you have arrived at the sink, both feet I now command you to stop moving … . . now, initiate double stance support, 50% weight on both feet… . . begin standing mode.”

Can you imagine being unable to stop moving graciously? Imagine that every attempt to halt your walking or running was like smacking into a wall or stumbling to a halt ? Kind of like that amateur driver who uses no grace or finesse, every start is a stomp on the gas and every stop is a slamming on the brakes.
We take stopping for granted, as do we underestimate the complexity of initiating movement. It is one of those things, you do not know what you have until you lose it. Sometimes it is the simplest of things which we take for granted.
There is a brainstem pathway specifically dedicated to control locomotor arrest. Activating this pathway stops locomotion, while inhibiting the pathway enables locomotion.

enjoy this short blog post today: http://tmblr.co/ZrRYjx1ycc8Q4