Kinesiology Commons^™

Comparison Of Lower-Extremity Coordination Patterns During Countermovement Jumps Between Dancers And Nondancers, Danielle Joseph

Honors Theses

Jumping is a skill essential to several different sports, including dance. For athletes in jump-dominant sports, jump strategies can vary with differences in task demands while jump performances are similar. The countermovement jump (CMJ) has been utilized to analyze jumps because of their reliable indications of power and neuromuscular function. Methods of describing jump strategies using CMJ, such as force plate metrics, vector coding analysis, and coordination phases, have been used to describe the jumps of athletes in jump dominant sports such as basketball and volleyball. However, less jump strategy research has been done on dancers, especially to describe the …

Ankle Dorsiflexion Is A Primary Influence On Single Limb Landing Stability Regardless Of Menstrual Cycle Chase, Olivia Matrulli

Honors Theses

Context: Hormonal fluctuations associated with the menstrual cycle contribute to modifications in joint laxity. Conflicting evidence supports increased ligamentous injury risk and altered postural control in response to these cyclic changes. Objective: To quantify changes in passive joint flexibility and dynamic postural control across the menses and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Design: Repeated measures. Setting: Research laboratory. Participants: Thirteen healthy females (20 [1] y, 1.62 [0.06] m, 67.42 [11.75] kg) with a regular menstrual cycle over the last twelve months volunteered. Interventions: Participants performed five static flexibility tests and three single-leg drop landings onto a force plate with …

Associations Between Levels Of Physical Activity And Cognitive Health, Gemma Goldenbaum

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between physical activity levels and executive function, specifically focusing on inhibitory control and working memory capacity. Though the benefits of exercise on brain health are well-documented, the extent of cognitive differences between sedentary individuals and elite student-athletes remains misunderstood. Eighty participants (ages 18–35) were categorized via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) into sedentary, low, and advanced activity tiers. Participants completed computational assessments, including the Operation Span (OSPAN) task for working memory and Go/No-Go tasks to measure response inhibition and implicit associations. Preliminary results indicated significant differences in sedentary behavior, …

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Injuries In Female Athletes: Implications For Prevention And Rehabilitation, Natalie Amm

Honors Theses

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common lower limb injuries and pose significant physical, psychological, and long-term functional challenges for athletes. Additionally, research has suggested that females are up to eight times more likely to experience an ACL injury than their male counterparts. This increased risk is multifactorial with risks including anatomical structure, neuromuscular control, strength deficits, and hormonal fluctuations. However, the elevated risk of ACL injuries in female athletes may not solely be caused by biological differences, but also due to training programs and sports being designed around male athletes. This pushes us to change the …

Exercise As A Non-Pharmacological Intervention For The Prevention And Delay Of Alzheimer’S Disease And Dementia, Eden Culver

Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias are rapidly increasing public health concerns due to aging populations and rising life expectancy. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration associated with amyloid-β plaques, tau neurofibrillary tangles, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and neuronal loss, leading to impairments in memory, cognition, and daily functioning. Because there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, identifying effective non-pharmacological prevention strategies is essential. This paper examines the role of physical exercise as a preventive and protective intervention for delaying the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Current research demonstrates that exercise supports brain health through several …

Combining Haptic Feedback With Electromyography To Study Knee Injury In Stationary Cycling, Christopher Kirby

Honors Theses

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) is the most prevalent overuse injury in cycling, often linked to altered neuromuscular activation patterns of the quadriceps and hamstrings. While sensory feedback has successfully modified cyclists posture, there is a critical lack of evidence-based interventions targeting the underlying muscle activation imbalances associated with chronic knee pain. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel, real-time biofeedback system that utilizes electromyography (EMG) to trigger vibrotactile cues, aiming to shift muscle onset timing earlier in the pedal stroke to mitigate PFPS-related imbalances. A closed-loop system was engineered by integrating a Delsys EMG system with a SageMotion …

Plant Vs. Animal Protein: Effect On Recovery, Performance, And Long-Term Health, Claudia Stachura

Honors Theses

Protein plays a fundamental role in muscle repair, growth, and athletic performance, which has led to increased interest in how different protein sources compare, particularly as plant-based diets become more common among athletes and physically active individuals. The debate surrounding plant-based versus animal-based protein sources primarily focuses on differences in protein quality, amino acid composition, digestibility, and potential long-term health implications. This paper examines current evidence comparing the effectiveness of plant and animal protein sources in supporting muscle protein synthesis (MPS), resistance training adaptations, recovery, and performance, while also considering broader health and environmental outcomes.

Protein supports muscle growth by …

Investigating The Cardiovascular And Autonomic Responses To Energy Drink Consumption: The Role Of Energy And Calorie Content, Sophia Schmidt

Honors Theses

Energy drinks (EDs) are among the most consumed functional beverages, often marketed to enhance focus, alertness, and physical performance. Despite their popularity, the combined cardiovascular and autonomic effects of caffeine and sugar during exercise remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute cardiovascular, metabolic, and autonomic responses to sugar-sweetened (ED-S), non-nutritive sweetened (ED-NNS), and placebo beverages during submaximal cycling in healthy young males.

Nine male participants (age 22.2 ± 2.4 yrs; BMI 26.2 ± 2.9 kg/m²) completed three experimental visits in a randomized, repeated-measures design. Each visit involved ingestion of one drink (ED-S, ED-NNS, or …

Effects Of Foam Rolling With And Without Vibration On Contralateral Limb Range Of Motion And Jump Performance, Lawton P. Hawkins

Honors Theses

Recently, foam rolling with vibration (VFR) has gained popularity with having similar benefits to standard foam rolling (FR). VFR may induce a greater improvement in pain pressure threshold, which could lead to a greater improvement in range of motion (ROM). When applied to one limb, improvements in ROM occur in the non-rolled limb for both FR and VFR. Studies comparing the effects of FR and VFR in terms of acute changes in ROM and performance have reported mixed results. Using a larger dosage of VFR may provide a greater improvement in ROM for the non-rolled limb compared to FR. PURPOSE: …

Correlation Between Maximal Strength And Standing Power Position In Shot Put Throwers, Ryan E. Joule

Honors Theses

This study determined the correlation between maximal strength to performance in a standing power shot put throw. Collegiate athletes (N = 7, 1 female, 6 males) conducted a one-repetition maximum for the bench press, back squat, and hang power clean, and executed three shot put throws at two different time points (three months apart). For the first time point, there were positive, moderate correlations of shot put distance to bench press (r = 0.41) and back squat (r = 0.45). A positive, strong correlation between distance thrown to hang power clean (r = 0.66) was present. For the second time …

Nutrition, Sleep, And Training Habits Enhance Endurance Race Performance, Anna F. Breed

Honors Theses

In recent years, marathon and ultra-marathon participation has grown substantially. Past research has shown that a range of variables influence the performance of endurance athletes. This study included participants of the Forgotten Florida 50-mile and 100-mile race and the Chattanooga Erlanger Half-Marathon and Marathon. These athletes were questioned about their sleep, nutrition, and training habits implemented for the races they completed. The results show the significance of carbohydrate consumption throughout the race for energy maintenance and shortened race times. Also, it was found that hill repeats and tempo runs brought about more successful race times for the runners who implemented …

Supplementation Of Magnesium Glycinate: Testing The Acute Effects Of Magnesium Glycinate On The Stress Levels Of College Students, Meagan Bubeck

Honors Theses

he usage of supplements and vitamins to increase health has become a common practice in the United States. However, the true effects are not always well-known and can differ across brands, population, and other factors. In college, many students are functioning in high stress conditions, and some may result to going on anti-anxiety or depression medications. To see if Magnesium supplementation could be a potential first step in improving the stress levels present in the student population, the effects of Mg were studied in a population of 10 participants. Participant data was studied in both an Mg and placebo condition …

The Effects Of Limb Occlusion On The Slow Component Of V̇O2 During Intermittent, Heavy-Intensity Cycling, Sela Lomascolo

Honors Theses

This study examined the physiological responses to continuous, heavy-intensity (CONT), intermittent, heavy-intensity (INT), and intermittent, heavy-intensity cycling with limb occlusion (INT-LO). METHODS: Five young (23.2 ± 5.5 yrs.), healthy subjects participated in this study and completed a total of seven visits. Three conditions were completed by each subject: CONT, INT, and INT-LO. Each condition consisted of a 4-minute warm-up (20 W), 6 minutes of exercise, followed by 5 minutes of recovery cycling. For CONT, exercise was performed at Δ50% for the entire 6 minutes. INT and INT-LO alternated between 15 seconds of work at Δ50%, and then 3 seconds of …

The Relationships Between Parental And Youth Physical Activity Behaviors And Perceptions, Bryanna Deangelis

Honors Theses

Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement by skeletal muscles resulting in energy expenditure. Physical activity has multiple different intensity levels, such as light, moderate, and vigorous. It is extremely important for both physical and mental health. The goals of this study are to examine the relationship between parental physical activity (i.e., leisure-time physical activity [moderate-vigorous physical activity]), youth health (i.e., body mass index [BMI], physical activity (moderate-vigorous physical activity), and perception of parental encouragement towards physical activity in a sample of parent-youth (8-14 years old) dyads. Participants will be sent a link via email that will have the …

Prevalence Of Mental Health Issues In Division Iii Athletes, Logan Streety

Honors Theses

College athletes have always struggled with their mental health, and it has recently become more widely recognized because of their lifestyle. Between managing schoolwork, team responsibilities, and having a social life, it is extremely easy to become overwhelmed and put other things before one’s psychological health. In this study, the SUNY Cortland Women’s Basketball team was surveyed to determine if depression, anxiety, and stress are prevalent in athletes at SUNY Cortland. The DASS-21 questionnaire was distributed to each of the women’s basketball athletes. This 21-question survey produced scores that determined whether they are experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress. …

Ncaa Di Student-Athletes’ Understanding Of And Attitudes Toward Mental Performance Services, Allison Rudisill

Honors Theses

Mental performance services are designed to assist student-athletes with psychological challenges affiliated with performance (McHenry et al., 2022). Currently, only 65 NCAA DI athletic institutions employ a psychological provider, with only 23.2% of those being mental performance consultants (MPCs; Jones et al., 2022). As student athletes are aware of the mental demand of sport (Bemiller & Wrisberg, 2011) and the NCAA begins to bring awareness to the importance of the mental well-being of the athlete (NCAA Transformational Committee, 2023), it is important to understand student athletes’ attitudes toward these services. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to learn about …

The Impact Of Differing Instability Devices On Postural Sway Parameters, Kacey Wallace

Honors Theses

Single-limb balance training is an integral part of preventing and rehabilitating lower extremity injuries. Practitioners use instability devices to provide a progressive overload to an individual during single-limb balance training sessions. Previous investigations have shown that when using instability devices, differences may or may not exist in postural sway parameters during use depending on the specific devices being assessed. Thus, this investigation sought to examine differences between a commonly used foam pad and a novel instability device (block) in measures of postural sway.

This experiment consisted of 22 healthy individuals with no history of lower extremity injury and neurological disorders. …

The Effects That Dietary Intake And Cardiorespiratory Fitness Has On Insulin Resistance In Adults, Trinady Moore

Honors Theses

Insulin resistance can impair bodily responses to insulin and the uptake of glucose within the human body. This imparity has many consequences and can more commonly cause Type II Diabetes.¹ This study focuses on how different lifestyle modifications can be used to combat the sensitivity to insulin within the body. The sample included forty-one adults whose ages varied from 18 to 35 years old. The participants completed a VO2max test, blood glucose test, and a 31- item food frequency survey. These tests and survey questions revealed the correction between the participants’ age, blood glucose levels, VO2max score, and diet …

Does Kinesiology Taping Support Lateral Ankle Sprains And Provide Stability To The Injured Ankle?, Lilianna Giacalone

Honors Theses

Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) are prevalent among athletes and can lead to chronic instability and re-injury. Kinesiology taping (KT) is a treatment modality aimed at providing support, pain management, and prevention of further injury. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of KT in supporting lateral ankle sprains and providing stability to the injured ankle. A comprehensive search yielded seven studies, including randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, and case-control studies. The studies investigated the immediate effects of KT on injuries, compared KT with other treatment modalities, and assessed the long-term outcomes of KT use. The findings from the reviewed …

Differences In Dynamic Knee Valgus Using Kinesiology Tape In Female Athletes, Riley J. Williams

Honors Theses

Excessive dynamic knee valgus (DKV) is commonly known as improper alignment in the frontal plane combined with excessive hip adduction, internal rotation, and tibia external rotation (Besier, Gold, Delp, Fredericson, & Beaupré, 2008; Maykut, Taylor-Haas, Paterno, DiCesare & Ford, 2015). More specifically, DKV is a medial collapse of the knee resulting in a hip adduction and internal rotation, tibial abduction and medial knee displacement, which increases the ACL strain (Llurda-Almuzara et al., 2020). Namata et al. (2018), using a three-dimensional kinematic analysis, reported female athletes are more commonly known to obtain a greater knee valgus angle when participating in landing …

Impact Of Body Image Ideals On Form And Frequency Of Exercise In College Students, Isabella Dipippo

Honors Theses

Objective: Body image issues are very prevalent among college students and can cause a variety of physical and mental health problems as determined by previous research. The SUNY Cortland student population, which tends to have a higher active student population than other campuses, may have a unique correlation between exercise and body image. This study aims to examine the impact of body image ideals in SUNY Cortland students in relation to exercise habits.

Methods: This study was conducted through survey-based methodology and distributed to various classes and organizations of undergraduate SUNY Cortland students through Google Forms. A total sample of …

The Effects Of Acute Exercise Intensity On Memory: State-Dependent Learning, Lauren E. Fuglaar, Rylie S. Mangold, Sierra N. Petty

Honors Theses

The Encoding-Specificity Paradigm states that memory recall will be enhanced when contextual factors are congruent between memory encoding and memory retrieval (i.e., state-dependent learning). However, minimal research has evaluated this paradigm in the exercise domain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of acute exercise intensity on memory while considering these potential state-dependent effects. Forty-eight university students completed a within-subject experiment involving seven laboratory visits, during which they encoded a list of 15 words and were subsequently asked to free-recall as many of these words as possible. The encoding and retrieval phases were matched or mismatched by …

The Effects Of Acute Exercise On Memory: Considerations Of The Testing Effect, Philip Christian

Honors Theses

This study had three main objectives. The first objective was to determine whether or not there was evidence of a testing effect being present when a short-term memory assessment is included along with a long-term memory assessment. The second objective was to determine whether acute exercise can improve long-term memory recall over a control condition. The third objective was to determine if the potential effects of acute exercise on long-term memory are confounded by the inclusion of a short-term memory assessment. Participants were 54 undergraduate students at the University of Mississippi, with an age range of 18-22 years old. Participants …

Validity Of The Loadsol Pro Insole For Pedal Reaction Force Measurements During Stationary Cycling, Anabelle Vallecillo Bustos

Honors Theses

Advancements in wearable technology have allowed clinicians, coaches, and researchers the ability to observe and quantify human movement outside the laboratory. Instrumented insoles are an example of novel technology that can be worn in the shoes and measure vertical reaction force wirelessly. The use of such insoles will prove to be beneficial for athletes as they train, patients as they progress through rehabilitation, and researchers as they experiment in their respective fields. The Loadsol Pro (Novel Inc., St Paul., MN, USA) has been shown to produce accurate and reliable measures of ground reaction forces (GRF) in various dynamic activities including …

Impact Of Training Volume On Female Athlete Triad Risk For Female Collegiate D1 Track And Field Athletes, Sarah Parnell

Honors Theses

iv ABSTRACT The Female Athlete Triad is the joint-presentation of three intertwined conditions (i.e., low energy availability (LEA), low bone mineral density (BMD), and menstrual dysfunction) that range in severity across affected individuals and have been known to affect the mental, emotional, and physical health of female athletes in a number of sports, especially those that are leanness-orientated and feature a high prevalence of disordered eating. The purpose of this study is to assess the potential relationship between increasing amounts of training volume and individual Triad risk factors in women’s collegiate track and field. Online Qualtrics surveys were administered to …

The Physiological And Psychological Benefits Of Rock Steady Boxing And Their Implications For The Management Of Parkinson’S Disease., Riley Hobson

Honors Theses

According to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (ADPA), there are an estimated 1 million people in the U.S. living with Parkinson’s disease, and over 10 million people worldwide. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive movement disorder that is characterized by motor symptoms such as tremor and bradykinesia, as well as non-motor symptoms such as sleep problems, fatigue, and depression (ADPA, 2023). Currently, there are no treatments for Parkinson’s disease, however, several interventions have been determined to provide symptom relief, slow the rate of disease progression, and improve one’s quality of life. These interventions range from medication to exercise participation. Rock …

Blood Flow Restriction Therapy As A Treatment In Rehabilitation, Sara Barr

Honors Theses

Blood flow restriction therapy, also known as BFR, is a treatment that is gaining popularity in the realm of rehabilitation and personal fitness. Commonly, BFR is used along with resistance training in physical therapy clinics for patients post-surgically, post injury, and for general muscle weakness (Congetti et al., 2022). BFR utilizes occlusion and pooling of blood, along with triggering the physiological processes of resistance training to decrease the hypertrophic threshold of a muscle (Congetti et al., 2022). This literature review aims to investigate the effects of BFR on patients in physical therapy after surgery by examining the history and origin …

Relationships Between Vertical Ground Reaction Forces And Clubhead Velocity In Ncaa Division I Female Golfers, Jared Bush

Honors Theses

Golf biomechanics research has focused on clubhead velocity (CHV) for over a decade with the intent of discovering the physical attributes that contribute the most to CHV. Previous research has displayed the significant correlations of strength and power attributes to CHV, giving evidence for practitioners to integrate training to improve these attributes. Recent studies have referenced vertical ground reaction forces (vGRF) and how they affect CHV. In this study, vGRFs are tested for their correlations to CHV in NCAA Division I female golfers. Clubs of various lengths were used to determine correlations between each club and vGRFs. Correlations between CHV …

Effects Of Acute Exercise On True And False Memory, Hanna Watson

Honors Theses

Objective: The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the role of acute exercise timing on true and false memory performance. Methods: A randomized controlled, within-subject design, was employed (N=39). The five counterbalanced visits included a control visit, vigorous-intensity exercise (80% of HHR; heart rate reserve) before encoding, vigorous exercise during encoding with no delay before encoding, vigorous exercise during encoding with a delay before encoding, and light-intensity exercise (30% of HHR) during encoding. A recognition task using the DRM (Deese-Roediger-McDermott) paradigm was used to evaluate true and false memory performance. Results: With hit rate as the outcome, there was …

Effects Of Acute Exercise Intensity On Behavioral Pattern Separation, Sarah Amitin

Honors Theses

Prior work has demonstrated that acute exercise can improve memory performance. Less research, however, has determined whether this beneficial effect occurs through exercise reducing the influence of related or interfering stimuli. Thus, the present experiment evaluated if acute exercise can improve memory by reducing the interference of similar or conflicting information. A mnemonic similarity task was used where participants studied pictures of a wide variety of objects. The retrieval portion of the task displayed a set of objects in which they had to identify as old (already studied), new, or similar. The list of objects in the retrieval phase had …