Biomechanics Commons^™

Running Biomechanics Differ During And After Pregnancy Compared To Females Who Have Never Been Pregnant, Jennifer J. Bagwell, Elizabeth Avila, Nicholas Reynolds, Jo Armour Smith, Kevin Valenzuela, Dimitrios Katsavelis

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Perinatal running participation has increased recently; however, pregnancy related symptoms can limit activity. Perinatal running biomechanics could inform interventions to help perinatal individuals maintain an active lifestyle.

Research question

Are perinatal running biomaechanics and muscle activation different compared to nulligravida females?

Methods

Sixteen pregnant participants completed self-selected velocity running during second trimester (2 T), third trimester (3 T), and postpartum (PP) and 16 matched controls completed these procedures once in this case control study. Kinematic, kinetic, and electromyography (EMG) data were collected using a motion capture system, force plates, and EMG electrodes. Peak trunk, pelvis, hip, knee, and ankle …

The Influence Of Concussion History And Head Acceleration On Lower Extremity Function, Warren Forbes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sport-related concussions (SRCs) play a very debilitative role in athletics with between 1.7 – 3 million SRCs occurring annually (Clay et al., 2013; Zuckerman et al., 2015). This equates to upwards of 21.5 SRCs per 1000 athletic exposures. Research pertaining to SRC has received intense focus because of the substantial financial impact on the US healthcare system as well as the negative impact that SRCs have on the quality of life of athletes. Much of the research concerning SRC has been centered around management and ensuring adequate recovery from SRC-related symptoms. The current return to play (RTP) criteria from an …

The Immediate Effects Of The Nunee Patellar Support On Individuals With Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, Nick Linn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common form of anterior knee pain caused by general overuse, muscular weakness or strength imbalances, and poor movement coordination leading to abnormal alignment or mal-tracking of the patella. Recent guidelines do not recommend the use of a knee orthosis due to a lack of evidence supporting their effectiveness. A new patellar support (NuNee, K-Neesio LLC.) which uses distraction force to relieve pressure placed on the patella, has been proposed. The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate effects of the NuNee patellar support on perceived pain, biomechanics, and function in individuals with …

A Biomechanical Analysis Of Back Squats: Motion Capture, Electromyography, And Musculoskeletal Modeling, Eva Maria Urdiales Maddox

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Previous literature evaluating maximal back squats have failed to identify key components of the study decisions and procedures that would allow for duplication. Firstly, the existence of a sticking region in maximally weighted resistance exercises is frequently discussed and has been described as a force-reduced transition phase between an acceleration phase and a strength phase of a lift. However, the etiology has yet to be agreed upon. Second, Electromyography (EMG) is frequently used to assess muscle activations. However, no best practice for EMG normalization has been proposed. Two methods are commonly implemented for normalizing EMG: a maximum voluntary isometric contraction …

An Exploratory Analysis Of Gait Biomechanics And Muscle Activation In Pregnant Females With High And Low Scores For Low Back Or Pelvic Girdle Pain During And After Pregnancy, Jennifer J. Bagwell, Nicholas Reynolds, Jo Armour Smith, Michelle Walaszek, Hannah Runez, Kristina Lam, Julie Peterson, Dimitrios Katsavelis

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

The purpose of this study was to compare gait kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activation between pregnant females with high and low scores for low back and/or pelvic girdle pain during and after pregnancy.

Methods

Twenty participants tested during second trimester, third trimester, and again post-partum. At each session, motion capture, force plates, and surface electromyography data were captured during self-selected velocity over-ground walking. Participants completed the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS) and were assigned to high (QBPDS ≥15) or low pain groups (QBPDS

Findings

Nine participants met the high pain group criteria and 11 were low pain. During …

Efficacy Of A Cycling Intervention With Pedal Reaction Force Augmented Feedback On Reducing Inter-Limb Asymmetries In Patients With Unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty, Erik T. Hummer

Doctoral Dissertations

Fifteen patients with unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed cycling at two workates (80 W and 100 W) and two walking conditions (preferred and fast speeds). Ten of these patients of TKA also participated in a short-term cycling intervention paired with visual augmented feedback of vertical pedal reaction forces for six sessions over two-three weeks. These ten patients of TKA participated in a 2^nd post-training testing session. Study One compared the knee joint biomechanics for all fifteen participants during stationary cycling to ascertain if any biomechanical asymmetries may be present. The replaced limbs displayed significantly lower peak knee extension …

Transition Step Mechanics: How Influential Are Age And Fall History?, Emily Elizabeth Gerstle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to identify modifiable lower extremity kinematic and neuromuscular factors associated with step clearance and foot placement during transition step negotiation in older adult females with a history of falling. Specifically a full understanding of the contributions of bilateral joints of the hip, knee, and ankle during step clearance and landing was investigated (Chapter 2). Additionally to further understand how the task is accomplished, we examined the neuromuscular demands required to perform the previously mentioned kinematics (Chapter 3). Finally, to expand upon the knowledge of the multi-segment foot, the kinematics of the distal foot were …

The Roles Of Morphology And Posture On Gait Mechanics, Russell T. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

Humans walk with an upright posture, extended limbs during stance, and a double-peaked vertical ground reaction force. Our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, sometimes walk bipedally but do so with a flexed, abducted hind limb. Previous researchers have studied humans walking with a crouched, chimpanzee-like gait pattern to try to infer how extinct human ancestors walked. However, it is not clear if the way humans perform this crouched posture gait would be similar to the way a species that is adapted to walk with a crouched posture would walk. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the impact of morphology …

Performance Impact Of Different Lower-Limb Setup Positions In The Backstroke Swimming Start, Gordon E. Barkwell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The performance impact of different knee extension angles in the setup position for a backstroke start was evaluated using an instrumented starting surface. Ten backstroke swimmers completed maximum-effort starts in each of two setup positions: one with the knees flexed, and one with the knees extended. The start handles and touchpad were instrumented with tri-axial force plates. Activity of major hip and knee extensors was measured using surface electromyography. Body position was recorded throughout the start using two high-speed cameras. There was no difference in time to 10 m between the two conditions, indicating there is likely no advantage in …

Developing Motion Platform Dynamics For Studying Biomechanical Responses During Exercise For Human Spaceflight Applications, Kaitlin Lostroscio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In future human spaceflight missions, with prolonged exposure to microgravity, resistive and aerobic exercises will be countermeasures for bone loss, muscle loss, and decreased aerobic capacity. Two of the exercises of interest are squats and rowing. The cyclic forces produced during these exercises are at relatively low frequencies which are likely to excite structural resonances of space vehicles. Vibration Isolation Systems (VIS) are being designed to be paired with future exploration exercise devices in order to prevent these cyclic exercise forces from impacting the space vehicle. The VIS may be configured such that a platform supports the human and exercise …

Physical Activity And Age-Related Mechanical Risk Factors For Knee Osteoarthritis, Jocelyn F. Hafer

Doctoral Dissertations

Knee osteoarthritis is an age-related disease which will affect nearly 50% of individuals in their lifetime. Because there are currently no treatments to substantially slow the progression of this disease, it is important to identify mechanisms to reduce the risk of osteoarthritis initiation. Osteoarthritis is a disease which is at least partially mediated by mechanical factors which may result from age-related changes in gait. The extent to which habitual physical activity can modify the impact of age on gait, knee mechanics, and thus cartilage loading is unknown. The aim of this dissertation was to examine the effects of age and …

The Influence Of Crossfit Training On Running Mechanics, Sophia D. Bradley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction

40 million Americans run regularly.1 Contrary to many runner’s beliefs, increased strength may be beneficial while not adding body mass. An increase in strength in specific muscles may improve running gait and performance. 9,6 Strength training may also play an important role in preventing common overuse injuries in running 11,12 Depending on the style of strength training, it may also have an enhanced benefit on running economy.4,16

Participation in CrossFit is also widely popular, with an increase in participation of 923% in the past ten years.2 CrossFit is a type of strength training in which most movements performed utilize …

Differences In Lower Limb Kinetics In College Age Female Gymnasts To Coaches’ Perceived Efficiency In A Specific Counter Movement Jump Technique, Stephen Christopher Avgerinos

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports the results of a quantitative research project which examined kinetics of female collegiate gymnasts aged 18 to 21 performing a ‘punching’ counter-movement jump (CMJ) technique that is taught and required for exemplar scoring during NCAA competition. Twelve female gymnasts were recruited from the competitive team at Illinois State University. Participation was voluntary and athletes were not compensated. Each gymnast performed 8 punch-CMJ trials without coaching instruction except to perform a punching CMJ. The method of performing this CMJ began by stepping off from a 33 cm elevation, ‘punching’ off the force plates, and finishing with a landing …

Chapter 9: Biomechanics, Nicholas Stergiou, Daniel Blanke, Sara A. Myers, Ka-Chun Siu

Journal Articles

Biomechanics is a discipline. A discipline deals with understanding, predicting, and explaining phenomena within a content domain, and biomechanics is the study of the human body in motion. By applying

principles from mechanics and engineering, biomechanists are able to study the forces that act on the body and the effects they produce (Bates, 1991). Hay (1973) describes biomechanics as the science that examines forces acting on and within a biological structure and the effects produced by such forces, whereas Alt (1967) describes biomechanics as the science that investigates the effect of internal and external forces on human and animal bodies …

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. …

Changes In Sprint Kinetics Or Kinematics Following Static Or Dynamic Stretching, Kristyne Bartel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of static or dynamic stretching on hip kinematics and kinetics during intermittent sprinting. To achieve this aim, intermittent sprint athletes were asked to complete either a static or dynamic stretch, followed by a repeated-sprint protocol. Hip joint kinematics and performance measures were evaluated during the sprint, including changes that occurred in these variables over the course of the sprint protocol. In addition, hip flexion torque was measured with an isokinetic dynamometer. Ten male (age = 25±2.3 years, 175±3.2 cm, 76.2±2.7 kg) and female (age = 20±1 years, 166±1.3 cm, 60±1.1 …

Persons With Multiple Sclerosis Show Altered Joint Kinetics During Walking After Participating In Elliptical Exercise, Jessie M. Huisinga, Kendra K. Schmid, Mary Filipi, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience abnormal gait patterns and reduced physical activity. The purpose of this study was to determine if an elliptical exercise intervention for patients with MS would change joint kinetics during gait toward healthy control values. Gait analysis was performed on patients with MS (n = 24) before and after completion of 15 sessions of supervised exercise. Joint torques and powers were calculated, while also using walking velocity as a covariate, to determine the effects of elliptical exercise on lower extremity joint kinetics during gait. Results show that elliptical exercise significantly altered joint torques at the …

Effects Of Increased Step Width On Knee Joint Biomechanics In Healthy And Knee Osteoarthritis Older Adults During Stair Descent, Maxime Robert Paquette

Doctoral Dissertations

Stair negotiation is one of the most challenging tasks for older adults especially for those suffering from knee osteoarthritis (OA). To date, no studies have investigated the effects of increased step width (SW) on knee joint biomechanics. The purpose of Study One was to investigate the effects of increased SW on peak internal knee abduction moment and other lower extremity variables during stair descent in healthy older adults. The purpose of Study Two was to investigate the effects of increased SW on peak internal knee abduction moment, knee pain and other lower extremity variables during stair descent in medial compartment …

Biomechanical Risk Factors For Knee Osteoarthritis In Young Adults: The Influence Of Obesity And Gait Instruction, Julia Ann Freedman

Doctoral Dissertations

With increasing rates of obesity, research has begun to focus of co-morbidities of obesity such as osteoarthritis. The majority of existing research has focused on older adults as the group most likely to suffer from osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to determine if overweight and obese young adults exhibit biomechanical risk factors for knee osteoarthritis, and to determine if young adults with biomechanical risk factors of osteoarthritis can modify these with instruction. This purpose was divided into two separate studies.

Study 1: Thirty adults between 18-35 years old were recruited into three groups according to body mass index: …

Effects Of Varying Amounts Of Pronation On The Mediolateral Ground Reaction Forces During Barefoot Versus Shod Running, Joanna B. Morley, Leslie M. Decker, Tracy Dierks, Daniel Blanke, Jeffrey French, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Despite extensive research on running mechanics, there is still a knowledge gap with respect to the degree of relationship between mediolateral ground reaction forces (ML-GRF) and foot pronation. Our goal was to investigate whether differences exist in ML-GRF among runners that exhibit different degrees of pronation. Seventeen male and 13 female recreational runners ran with and without shoes while ML-GRF and frontal kinematics were collected simultaneously. Subjects were divided into groups based upon their peak eversion (low pronation, middle pronation, high pronation). Discrete parameters from the ML-GRF were peak forces, respective times of occurrence, and impulses. No significant differences were …