Life Sciences Commons^™

A Sport-Specific Wearable Jump Monitor For Figure Skating, Dustin A. Bruening, Riley E. Reynolds, Chris W. Adair, Peter Zapalo, Sarah T. Ridge

Faculty Publications

Advancements in wearable technology have facilitated performance monitoring in a number of sports. Figure skating may also benefit from this technology, but the inherent movements present some unique challenges. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to monitor three aspects of figure skating jumping performance: jump count, jump height, and rotation speed. Seven competitive figure skaters, outfitted with a waist-mounted IMU, performed a total of 59 isolated multi-revolution jumps and their competition routines, which consisted of 41 multi-revolution jumps along with spins, footwork, and other skills. The isolated jumps were …

Control Of Redundant Pointing Movements Involving The Wrist And Forearm, Garrett R. Dorman, Kevin C. Davis, Allan W. Peaden, Steven K. Charles

Faculty Publications

The musculoskeletal system can move in more ways than are strictly necessary, allowing many tasks to be accomplished with a variety of limb configurations. Why some configurations are preferred has been a focus of motor control research, but most studies have focused on shoulder-elbow or whole-arm movements. This study focuses on movements involving forearm pronation-supination (PS), wrist flexion-extension (FE), and wrist radial-ulnar deviation (RUD), and elucidates how these three degrees of freedom (DOF) combine to perform the common task of pointing, which only requires two DOF. Although pointing is more sensitive to FE and RUD than to PS and could …

Does Body Size Affect Fitness The Same Way In Males And Females? A Test Of Multiple Fitness Components, Ashlee N. Smith, Mark C. Belk

Faculty Publications

Body size generally has an important relationship with fitness, whereby larger body size leads to an increase in fitness through competition, reproductive output and survivorship. However, the traits through which body size increases fitness often differ between the sexes. We tested for the effects of body size on fitness in both sexes using three separate experiments on competitive ability, reproductive output and starvation resistance in the burying beetle Nicrophorus marginatus. Results varied between sexes as follows: (1) larger body size increased competitive ability differentially between sexes; (2) female body size, but not male body size, significantly affected reproductive output …

Walking In Minimalist Shoes Is Effective For Strengthening Foot Muscles, Sarah T. Ridge, Mark T. Olsen, Dustin A. Bruening, Kevin Jurgensmeier, David Griffin, Irene S. Davis, A. Wayne Johnson

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Weakness of foot muscles may contribute to a variety of loading-related injuries. Supportive footwear may contribute to intrinsic foot muscle weakness by reducing the muscles’ role in locomotion (e.g., absorbing forces and controlling motion). Increased stimulus to the foot muscles can be provided through a variety of mechanisms, including minimalist footwear and directed exercise.

Purpose: To determine the effect of walking in minimalist footwear or performing foot strengthening exercises on foot muscle size and strength.

Methods: Fifty-seven runners were randomly assigned to one of three groups—minimalist shoe walking (MSW), foot strengthening (FS) exercise, or control (C). All groups maintained …

Comparison Of Varying Heel To Toe Differences And Cushion To Barefoot Running In Novice Minimalist Runners, Danny Moody, Iain Hunter, Sarah T. Ridge, J. William Myrer

Faculty Publications

There are many different types of footwear available for runners in today’s market. Many of these shoes claim to help runners run more efficiently by altering an individual’s stride mechanics. Minimalist footwear claims to aid runners run more on their forefeet whereas more traditional footwear provides more cushioning specifically for a heel first landing. The purpose of this paper was to determine if runners, who were accustomed to running in traditional footwear would alter their running mechanics while running acutely in various types of minimalist footwear. Twelve subjects, accustomed to running in traditional 12 mm heel/toe differential footwear, ran in …