Biomechanics Commons^™

Maturational Timing And Swim Performance In Collegiate Female Swimmers, Brian V. Wright, Andrew C. Cornett, Sierra Wagner, Alan Duski, Joel M. Stager

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if maturational timing is related to collegiate swim performance. Maturational timing was estimated using age at menarche (AaM), which was determined retrospectively in collegiate swimmers (N = 273). Each swimmer’s best performance during the 2015-2016 NCAA season was obtained from the USA Swimming database and selected based on Power Point Score (PPS), a standardized score given to all performances in the database. Independent samples t tests were used to compare (i) PPS and body mass index (BMI; from selfreported height and weight) between earlier maturing (youngest 33% at menarche) and later maturing …

The Runsmart Training Program: Effect On Oxygen Consumption And Lower Extremity Biomechanics During Running, Jennifer Bogulski, Steven Gonser, Doug Bush, Raechel Bugner, Lindsay Clark, Lisa Farrell, Kristen Swanson, Michael Ross

Articles & Book Chapters

As recreational running continues to gain popularity, more individuals are seeking ways to improve running performance. RunSmart is a running intervention program designed to enhance a runner’s form. In addition to correcting flaws in a runner’s form, RunSmart offers the opportunity for runners to continue a regular regimen while slowly integrating changes in form. The purpose of this case series was twofold: to determine if the RunSmart program coincides with improvements in oxygen consumption (VO₂), a variable often associated with better running performance times, and to evaluate the RunSmart program in regard to enhancing gait biomechanics. Five recreational …

Body Mass Index Associations Between Mother And Offspring From Birth To Age 18: The Fels Longitudinal Study, Stacie S. Swanton, Audrey C. Choh, Miryoung Lee, Lloyd L. Laubach, Jon K. Linderman, Stefan A. Czerwinski, Matthew J. Peterson

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Background: Parental obesity is a known determinant of childhood obesity. Previous research has shown a strong maternal influence on body mass index (BMI) during infancy and early childhood.

Objectives: The purpose of this research was to investigate the BMI associations between mother and offspring from birth to age 18 years.

Methods: Participants were selected from the Fels Longitudinal Study. The current study sample includes 427 (215 mother/son and 212 mother/daughter) mother/child pairs. These pairs are repeatedly measured at multiple age groups in children, resulting in a total of 6,263 (3,215 mother/son, 3,048 mother/daughter) observations for data analysis. Inclusion criteria were …

Changes In Balance And Joint Position Sense During A 12-Day High Altitude Trek: The British Services Dhaulagiri Medical Research Expedition, Sarah B. Clarke

Datasets

Postural control and joint position sense are essential for safely undertaking leisure and professional activities, particularly at high altitude. We tested whether exposure to a 12-day trek with a gradual ascent to high altitude impairs postural control and joint position sense. This was a repeated measures observational study of 12 military service personnel (28±4 years). Postural control (sway velocity measured by a portable force platform) during standing balance, a Sharpened Romberg Test and knee joint position sense were measured, in England (113m), and at 3 research camps (3619m, 4600m and 5140m) on a 12-day high altitude trek in the Dhaulagiri …

Electromyographic And Mechanomyographic Time And Frequency Responses During Fatiguing, Submaximal, Isokinetic Muscle Actions Of The Biceps Brachii, Ethan C. Hill

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the time-course of changes in electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG), time and frequency domain responses during repeated, submaximal, concentric, isokinetic, forearm flexion muscle actions. Twelve men (mean age ± SD = 22.6 ± 2.2 yrs; body weight = 84.0 ± 8.3 kg; height = 178.6 ± 8.3 cm) performed 50 repeated, submaximal (65% of concentric peak torque), concentric muscle actions of the dominant forearm flexors on an isokinetic dynamometer at 60°·s^-1. Surface EMG and MMG signals were simultaneously recorded from the biceps brachii muscle. Polynomial regression analyses (first, second, …

Identification Of Kinematic And Kinetic Injury Risk Predictors In Division I Football Athletes, Corbin M. Rasmussen, Guilherme M. Cesar, Shinya Takahashi

UCARE Research Products

biomechanical patterns and insufficiencies that may influence risk of ligamentous injury, such as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. One kinematic pattern that has been identified as detrimental to ACL integrity is frontal plane knee collapse (valgus) during jumping and landing tasks.1 Inter-limb differences in force generation have also been connected to the occurrence of lower extremity injury.2 It is not known, however, whether these patterns contribute to the occurrence of lower extremity (LE) non-contact soft-tissue injury. The counter-movement vertical jump (CMVJ) is one way to simultaneously screen for knee collapse and asymmetrical force production patterns. This method was therefore …

Preliminary Results On Organization On The Court, Physical And Technical Performance Of Brazilian Professional Futsal Players: Comparison Between Friendly Pre-Season And Official Match, Luiz Henrique Palucci Vieira, Sera N. Doğramaci, Ricardo Augusto Barbieri, Fabio Milioni, Felipe Arruda Moura, Vitor Luiz De Andrade, Guilherme Manna Cesar, Paulo Roberto Pereira Santiago

Athletic Performance Research

The main aim of this study was to verify possible differences between a friendly pre-season match (FM) and an official in-season match (OM) regarding physical, technical, and organizational performances of a professional Brazilian futsal team. Ten professional futsal athletes participated in this study. The matches were monitored with video cameras (30 Hz) and athlete trajectories obtained with automatic tracking. The values obtained for distance covered per minute, percentage of distance covered at moderate intensity, team coverage area, spread, passes, possessions, ball touches and successful passes per minute were greater for the OM than FM. On the contrary, percentage of distance …

Examining The Reliability, Validity And Factor Structure Of The Drs-15 With College Athletes, Leilani Madrigal, Diane L. Gill, Kent M. Eskridge

Athletic Performance Research

Hardiness, comprising feelings of commitment, control and challenge, is most frequently measured with the Dispositional Resiliency Scale (DRS), but little work has been done with the brief 15-item version. To examine the factor structure, reliability, validity, and item functioning for gender invariance of the 15-item DRS with 525 collegiate athletes from a wide range of sports. Convergent and divergent validity were examined through relationships with mental toughness, grit and competitive anxiety. Participants completed measures of mental toughness, optimism, grit, competitive anxiety, and the DRS-15. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed a poor fit for the three-factor hardiness model, and subsequent exploratory factor …

Frontal Plane Comparison Between Drop Jump And Vertical Jump: Implications For The Assessment Of Acl Risk Of Injury, Guilherme Manna Cesar, Curtis L. Tomasevicz, Judith M. Burnfield

Athletic Performance Research

The potential to use the vertical jump (VJ) to assess both athletic performance and risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury could have widespread clinical implications since VJ is broadly used in high school, university, and professional sport settings. Although drop jump (DJ) and VJ observationally exhibit similar lower extremity mechanics, the extent to which VJ can also be used as screening tool for ACL injury risk has not been assessed. This study evaluated whether individuals exhibit similar knee joint frontal plane kinematic and kinetic patterns when performing VJs compared with DJs. Twenty-eight female collegiate athletes performed DJs and VJs. …

Weight Control Practices Of Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes, Patrick B. Wilson, Leilani Madrigal, Judith M. Burnfield

Athletic Performance Research

Objectives: Altering body weight can have substantial effects on an athlete’s performance and well-being. Limited information is available describing the weight control practices of Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes.

Methods: Weight control practices data from 188 (138 male and 50 female; 18-23 y) Division I NCAA athletes were analyzed as a part of this cross-sectional, retrospective study. Participants completed questionnaires on weight control practices and weight control nutrition knowledge at the end of their season and were classified into weight-sensitive and less weight-sensitive sports.

Results: A higher proportion of females attempted to lose weight than males among …

Glucose-Fructose Likely Improves Gastrointestinal Comfort And Endurance Running Performance Relative To Glucose-Only, P. B. Wilson, S. J, Ingraham

Athletic Performance Research

This study aimed to determine whether glucose-fructose (GF) ingestion, relative to glucose-only, would alter performance, metabolism, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and psychological affect during prolonged running. On two occasions, 20 runners (14 men) completed a 120-min submaximal run followed by a 4-mile time trial (TT). Participants consumed glucose-only (G) or GF (1.2:1 ratio) beverages, which supplied ~1.3 g/min of carbohydrate. Substrate use, blood lactate, psychological affect [Feeling Scale (FS)], and GI distress were measured. Differences between conditions were assessed using magnitude-based inferential statistics. Participants completed the TT 1.9% (−1.9; −4.2, 0.4) faster with GF, representing a likely benefit. FS ratings were …

Misrepresentation Of Carbohydrate For Exercise: ‘It Is Time To Bust The Myth Of Physical Inactivity And Obesity: You Cannot Outrun A Bad Diet’, Patrick B. Wilson

Athletic Performance Research

The contention from Malhotra et al1 regarding the unimportance of carbohydrate for exercise is misguided. First, the reference they provide is an editorial2 that should not be viewed as high-quality evidence. Several oft-cited exercise studies showing benefits with high-fat diets simultaneously utilized carbohydrate restoration strategies,3 which involves “carbohydrate loading” after a high-fat diet. Thus, the evidence provided does not contradict the established belief that carbohydrate is an important fuel for endurance exercise. Second, the authors’ use of the term “carbohydrate loading” is misleading in this context. No public health organizations advocate a diet containing carbohydrate in amounts used in “carbohydrate …

Biomechanical Investigation Of Elite Place-Kicking, Chase M. Pfeifer

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many studies aim to understand the fundamentals of kicking commonly displayed by soccer players [4,6,10,16,17,18,24,25,28,29,30,34,36,38,40]. Of those studies, most are limited to a two-dimensional (2D) analysis using high-speed cameras for position tracking or utilizing electromyography to observe the activity of select muscles [4,6,18,25,29,36]. The few studies that investigate kicking using a three-dimensional (3D) model are limited in their position tracking capabilities and focus mainly on joint flexion potentials and foot speed.

This dissertation is a comprehensive biomechanical analysis (kinematic and EMG) of the field-goal place-kicking techniques of four elite kickers in American football. Data were compared and contrasted with ball …

Removable Shoe Spike System, Alex Adams, Nutech Ventures, Inc.,

Athletic Performance Research

The present system, method and apparatus are adapted for the quick and easy exchange of spikes on athletic shoes. More specifically, the system, apparatus and methods comprise a spike having an opening, an aglet adapted for coupling to the shoe, for example by way of a shoelace, and a coupling head affixed to the aglet which is adapted to couple with the opening on the spike so as to allow a user to quickly and easily replace, remove or install spikes in the athletic shoe. The disclosure thus allows the user to have the tool attached to their shoe at …

Development Of A Muscle Model Parameter Calibration Method Via Passive Muscle Force Minimization, Allison Kinney, Benjamin J. Fregly

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Computational predictions of subject-specific muscle and knee joint contact forces during walking may improve individual rehabilitation treatment design. Such predictions depend directly on specified model parameter values. However, model parameters are difficult to measure non-invasively. Methods for muscle model parameter calibration have been developed previously. However, it is currently unknown how the musculoskeletal system chooses muscle model parameter values. Previous studies have hypothesized that muscles avoid injury during walking by generating little passive force and operating in the ascending region of the force-length curve. This hypothesis suggests that muscle model parameter values may be selected by the body to minimize …

Synergy-Based Two-Level Optimization For Predicting Knee Contact Forces During Walking, Gil Serrancolí, Allison Kinney, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, Benjamin J. Fregly

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Musculoskeletal models and optimization methods are combined to calculate muscle forces. Some model parameters cannot be experimentally measured due to the invasiveness, such as the muscle moment arms or the muscle and tendon lengths. Moreover, other parameters used in the optimization, such as the muscle synergy components, can be also unknown. The estimation of all these parameters needs to be validated to obtain physiologically consistent results. In this study, a two-step optimization problem was formulated to predict both muscle and knee contact forces of a subject wearing an instrumented knee prosthesis. In the outer level, muscle parameters were calibrated, whereas …

The Influence Of Neuromusculoskeletal Model Calibration Method On Predicted Knee Contact Forces During Walking, Gil Serrancolí, Allison Kinney, Benjamin J. Fregly, Josep M. Font-Llagunes

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This study explored the influence of three model calibration methods on predicted knee contact and leg muscle forces during walking. Static optimization was used to calculate muscle activations for all three methods. Approach A used muscle-tendon model parameter values (i.e., optimal muscle fiber lengths and tendon slack lengths) taken directly from literature. Approach B used a simple algorithm to calibrate muscle-tendon model parameter values such that each muscle operated within the ascending region of its normalized force-length curve. Approach C used a novel two-level optimization procedure to calibrate muscle-tendon, moment arm, and neural control model parameter values while simultaneously predicting …

A Pilot Study Investigating The Reasons For Playing Through Pain And Injury: Emerging Themes In Men’S And Women’S Collegiate Rugby, Leilani Madrigal, Jamie Robbins, Diane L. Gill, Katherine Wurst

Athletic Performance Research

Collegiate rugby is a competitive, collision sport, yet insufficient empirical evidence exists regarding participants’ perspectives on pain and injury. This study addressed male and female rugby players’ experiences with injury, and their views about playing through pain and injury. Eleven rugby players (five male; six female) competing in USA Rugby’s National College 7’s tournament participated in semi structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed, and content-analyzed. Two major themes emerged: passion for sport and sport ethic. Passion for sport was composed of (a) love of the sport, (b) meaning of the sport, and (c) desire to be on the field. Sport …

A Multi-Directional Treadmill Training Program For Improving Gait, Balance, And Mobility In Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease: A Case Series, Kimberly Smith, Kurt Jackson, Kimberly Edginton Bigelow, Lloyd L. Laubach

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Treadmill training is a commonly used intervention for improving gait in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, little is known about how treadmill training may also influence balance and other aspects of mobility.

The purpose of this case series was to explore the feasibility and possible benefits of multi-directional treadmill training for individuals with PD. Four participants (62.3 ± 6.5 yrs, Hoehn & Yahr 2-4) performed 8 weeks of treadmill training 3 times per week. Weeks 1-4 included forward walking only, while weeks 5-8 included forward and multi-directional walking. Participants were tested every 4 weeks on 4 separate occasions. Outcome …

Hip Abductors And Thigh Muscles Strength Ratios And Their Relation To Electromyography Amplitude During Split Squat And Walking Lunge Exercises, Petr Stastny, James J. Tufano, Michal Lehnert, Artur Golas, Amr Zaatar, Zuzana Xaverova, Adam Maszczyk

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The hip abductors (HAB), quadriceps (Q) and hamstrings (H) reciprocal strength ratios are predictors of electromyography (EMG) amplitude during load carrying walking at moderate intensity. Therefore, these strength ratios might predict also the EMG during the exercises as walking lunge (WL) or split squat (SSq) at submaximal intensity. Objective: To determine whether the EMG amplitude of vastus mediali (VM), vastus laterali (VL), biceps femoris (BF) and gluteus medius (Gmed) is associated with muscle strength ratio during SSqs and WLs. To determine whether the EMG amplitude differs between individuals with HAB/H ratio above and below one and between individuals with …

Deltoid Moment Arms During Abduction: A Subject-Specific Musculoskeletal Modeling Study In Healthy Shoulders And Shoulders With Rtsa, David Walker, Allison Kinney, Aimee Struk, Benjamin J. Fregly, Thomas Wright, Scott Banks

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) is increasingly used in the United States since approval by the FDA in 2003. RTSA relieves pain and restores mobility in arthritic rotator cuff deficient shoulders. Though many advantages of RTSA have been demonstrated, there still are a variety of complications (implant loosening, shoulder impingement, infection, frozen shoulder) making apparent much still is to be learned how RTSA modifies normal shoulder function. The goal of this study was to assess how RTSA affects deltoid muscle moment generating capacity post-surgery using a subjectspecific computational model driven by in vivo kinematic data.

How Sensitive Is The Deltoid Moment Arm To Joint Center Changes With Rtsa?, David Walker, Allison Kinney, Aimee Struk, Benjamin J. Fregly, Thomas Wright, Scott Banks

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The goal of this study was to assess the sensitivity of the deltoid muscle moment arms as a function of joint configuration for an existing RTSA subject. High variations were found for all three deltoid components. Variation over the entire abduction arc was greatest in the anterior and lateral deltoid, while the posterior deltoid moment arm was mostly sensitive to joint center changes early in the abduction arc. Moment arm changes of 10-16mm represent a significant amount of the total deltoid moment arm. This means there is an opportunity to dramatically change the deltoid moments arms through surgical placement of …

A Novel Approach To Estimation Of Patient-Specific Muscle Strength, David Walker, Allison Kinney, Benjamin J. Fregly, Thomas Wright, Scott Banks

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Current modeling techniques have been used to model the Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (RTSA) to account for the geometric changes implemented after RTSA. Though these models have provided insight into the effects of geometric changes from RTSA these is still a limitation of understanding muscle function after RTSA on a patient-specific basis. The goal of this study sought to overcome this limitation by developing an approach to calibrate patient-specific muscle strength for an RTSA subject.

Formulation To Predict Lower Limb Muscle Forces During Gait, Gil Serrancolí, Jonathan P. Walter, Allison Kinney, A. Barjau, Benjamin J. Fregly, Josep M. Font-Llagunes

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The human body has more muscles than Degrees of Freedom (DoF), and that leads to indeterminacy in the muscle force calculation. This study proposes the formulation of an optimization problem to estimate the lower-limb muscle forces during a gait cycle of a patient wearing an instrumented knee prosthesis. The originality of that formulation consists of simulating muscle excitations in a physiological way while muscle parameters are calibrated. Two approaches have been considered. In Approach A, measured contact forces are applied to the model and all inverse dynamics loads are matched in order to get a physiological calibration of muscle parameters. …

Optimization Problem Formulation For Predicting Knee Muscle And Contact Forces During Gait, Gil Serrancolí, Jonathan P. Walter, Allison Kinney, Benjamin J. Fregly, Josep M. Font-Llagunes

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The human body has more muscles than degrees of freedom (DOF), which leads to indeterminacy in the muscle force calculation. In this study, an optimization problem to estimate the lower-limb muscle forces during a gait cycle of a patient wearing an instrumented knee prosthesis is formulated. It consists of simulating muscle excitations in a physiological way while muscle parameters are calibrated.

Role Of Satellite Cells In Long Term Fiber Type Shifts, Honglu Liu

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Muscle fiber type shifts in respect to satellite cells, muscle stem cells, are not well understood currently. The Peterson Lab has generated a mouse model (PAX7-DTA) that ablates satellite cells to determine if these muscle stem cells contribute to mouse muscle fiber type changes over an eight week period. In the study, control and satellite-cell-ablated mouse groups were split into control and overload groups (via synergist ablation surgery) and placed under similar environmental conditions. Eight weeks post-experiment, muscles were dissected to obtain the plantaris muscles of animals from all groups. Muscle cross-sections obtained were immunohistochemically stained, imaged, quantified by fiber …

Changes In In Vivo Knee Contact Forces Through Gait Modification, Allison Kinney, Thor F. Besier, Amy Slider, Scott L. Delp, Darryl D. D'Lima, Benjamin J. Fregly

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Gait modification represents a non-invasive method for reducing knee joint loading in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Previous studies have shown that a variety of gait modifications are effective in reducing the external knee adduction moment. The external knee adduction moment is often used as a surrogate measure of medial compartment force. However, a recent study showed that reductions in the external knee adduction moment do not guarantee reductions in medial compartment loads. Therefore, direct measurement of changes in knee contact force is important for determining the effectiveness of gait modifications. A previous study found that medial thrust gait and walking …

Effectiveness Of Group Kickboxing As A Means To Improve Gait And Balance In Individuals With Ms, Kurt Jackson, Kimberly Edginton Bigelow, Christina Cooper, Harold L. Merriman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, there has been a particular emphasis on identifying and delivering appropriate therapeutic interventions that address the significant balance and gait impairments that affect individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Group interventions implemented in community settings have been especially of interest, including tai chi classes. Recently, the authors conducted a preliminary study to examine whether group kick-boxing, which requires more vigorous movements, might be a feasible intervention. Initial findings showed promise and led the authors to pursue a more rigorous follow-up study, with the objective of determining whether a 5-week group kickboxing class improved clinical measures of balance and …

Muscle Contributions To Frontal And Transverse Plane Whole-Body Angular Momentum, Richard R. Neptune, Craig P. Mcgowan, Allison Kinney

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to build upon previous work by analyzing how gravity and individual muscles contribute to frontal and traverse plane whole-body angular momentum. Identifying which muscles are responsible for generating angular momentum has important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders.

Force Characteristics In Different Shoe Designs, Bryson Nakamura

Summer Research

Women’s shoes are known to be constructed from the same parameters as men’s shoes but on a smaller scale. However, foot and gait characteristics are different between genders The purpose of this study was to determine if mid-sole design has an effect on ground reaction force characteristics during running, cutting and jumping motions. Twenty-two apparently healthy female (73.8±8.4 kg; 1.74±0.06 m) and seven male (73.5±5.3 kg; 1.68±0.02 m) current or recently graduated NCAA Division III athletes voluntarily participated in this study. Subjects wore four shoes with different mid-sole designs while performing five different actions: running, cutting, shuffling, back cut and …