Life Sciences Commons^™

Non-Preferred Limb Performance Following Prolonged Training Periods: Performance And Retention Of Skills, Matthew Thomas Mayer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of the current study was to examine if a long-term training program could improve non-preferred limb performance on a battery of standard tasks (Annett Pegboard, Grooved Pegboard Place and Remove Phase) and non-standard tasks (Scroll Task and Line-crossing Task). Upon completion of the training sessions, two new tasks were introduced, Finger Tapping and Fitt’s Law Task, to examine if any performance improvements could be transferred. A second purpose of the study was to learn if a training program could increase the perceived comfort in using the non-preferred hand on the same testing tasks. Participants were assigned to a …

The Influence Of Exercise Intensity On Exercise Induced Diaphragm Fatigue In Female Subjects, Anthony Errol Aqui

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Exercise induced arterial hypoxemia (EIAH), expiratory flow limitation (EFL) and exercise induced diaphragm fatigue (EIDF) are examples of how the pulmonary system limits endurance exercise. The differences in the female anatomy and hormone fluctuations have been reported to cause differences in the occurrence of EIAH and EFL in males and females. EIDF has been reported to occur in males, but to date no investigations have reported the occurrence of EIDF in females. Therefore the purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence of exercise induced diaphragm fatigue (EIDF) in females identified by significant reductions in transdiaphramatic pressure (P_{di …}

Effects Of Orthotic Intervention During Running Among Individuals With Functional Flatfoot, E. Anne Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Foot orthotics are commonly prescribed to runners with functional flatfoot (FFF) with the goal of restoring the medial arch of the foot. In addition, treadmills are typically used by both clinicians and researchers in order to measure the lower extremity kinematics associated with running. However the mechanism of orthotic intervention as well as the accuracy of treadmills in representing overground running remains controversial within the literature.

This thesis first compared the lower extremity kinematics between treadmill and overground running among individuals with a subtalar neutral foot type. The results indicated no significant differences with respect to rate of rearfoot angle, …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Various Exercise Interventions On Parkinson’S Disease, Michael D. Sage

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The overall purpose of the current thesis was to evaluate the influence of various exercise strategies on Parkinson’s disease (PD). While countless exercise interventions have been investigated by PD, results have been weak and inconclusive at best. As such, there are currently no scientifically-validated recommendations for an optimal exercise intervention. The four studies comprising this thesis have attempted to address the shortcomings of previous literature, namely, inconsistent use of outcome measures, lack of PD symptomatic measures, varying lengths of exercise interventions, absence of a non-exercise control group, continued assessment of participants after exercise has ended, and verifying replicabilty of findings. …