Biomechanics Commons^™

Step Width Variability As A Discriminator Of Age-Related Gait Changes, Andreas Skiadopoulos, Emily E. Moore, Harlan Sayles, Kendra K. Schmid, Nicholas Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background

There is scientific evidence that older adults aged 65 and over walk with increased step width variability which has been associated with risk of falling. However, there are presently no threshold levels that define the optimal reference range of step width variability. Thus, the purpose of our study was to estimate the optimal reference range for identifying older adults with normative and excessive step width variability.

Methods

We searched systematically the BMC, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Frontiers, IEEE, PubMed, Scopus, SpringerLink, Web of Science, Wiley, and PROQUEST databases until September 2018, and included the studies that measured step width variability …

A Quantitative Comparison Of Arm Activity Between Women With Breast Cancer And Healthy, Mary Insana Fisher, Claire Davies, Timothy L. Uhl

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Purpose: Survivors of breast cancer (BC) on the non-dominant side have more persistent deficits than those with cancer on the dominant limb. What is not known is whether those with BC use their involved upper limbs more, less, or at the same level as women without BC. Accelerometer use offers a quantifiable method to measure activity levels of upper limbs. The purpose of this study was to quantify the activity levels of the non-dominant involved limb among survivors of BC and compare these values to their dominant limb, as well as the non-dominant limb of a control group.

Methods: Participants …

Reply, Matthew A. Fuglestad, Hernan Hernandez Md, Yue Gao, Henamari Ybay, Molly Schieber, Katyarina E. Brunette, Sara A. Myers, George P. Casale, Iraklis Pipinos

Journal Articles

Letter to the editor response

Validity Of The Body Scan Scanner® And Structure Sensor To Measure Limb Volume In Healthy Adults, Mary Insana Fisher, Michaela Claire Viola, Noah James Brueckner, Madison Elizabeth Wolfe, Rachel Lynn Kremer

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Purpose/Hypothesis: Secondary lymphedema is a chronic condition that can develop in approximately 30 percent of women treated for breast cancer. It is important to measure limb volume changes for early detection of lymphedema, when it is possible to reverse the swelling (stage 1). Common clinical measures carry concerns of infection control (water displacement), are time consuming (truncated cone calculation using circumferential measures), or expensive (perometry). Use of a portable 3D scanner addresses these concerns, but the validity is unknown. The purpose of this phase I study is to investigate the validity of the Body Scan Scanner to measure limb volume …

Auditory And Visual External Cues Have Different Effects On Spatial But Similar Effects On Temporal Measures Of Gait Variability, Joao R. Vaz, Troy Rand, Jessica Fujan-Hansen, Mukul Mukherjee, Nicholas Stergiou

Journal Articles

Walking synchronized to external cues is a common practice in clinical settings. Several research studies showed that this popular gait rehabilitation tool alters gait variability. There is also recent evidence which suggests that alterations in the temporal structure of the external cues could restore gait variability at healthy levels. It is unknown, however, if such alterations produce similar effects if the cueing modalities used are different; visual or auditory. The modality could affect gait variability differentially, since there is evidence that auditory cues mostly act in the temporal domain of gait, while visual cues act in the spatial domain of …

Swaying To The Complex Motion Of A Visual Target Affects Postural Sway Variability, Haralampos Sotirakis, Dimitrios A. Patikas, Nicholas Stergiou, Vassilia Hatzitaki

Journal Articles

Background

Voluntary shifting body weight in the anteroposterior direction is an important element of daily life activities, such as rising from a chair or initiating a step. In order to accommodate the daily-life challenges of such tasks, voluntary postural sway needs to be flexible and variable.

Research question

In this study we asked how whole-body tracking of a complex visual target motion with the concurrent provision of feedback modulates the variability of voluntary sway.

Methods

Twenty young adults (age: 27.10 ± 9.15years, height: 170.73 ± 9.40 cm, mass: 62.84 ± 11.48 kg) performed 132 cycles of voluntary antero-posterior sway, on …

Comparison Of Upper Extremity Function In Women With And Women Without A History Of Breast Cancer, Mary Insana Fisher, Gilson Capilouto, Terry Malone, Heather Bush, Timothy L. Uhl

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Design: This was an observational cross-sectional study.

Methods: Women who were diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mean post–surgical treatment time of 51 months (range = 12–336 months) were compared with women who did not have breast cancer (CTRL group). Self-reported upper extremity function using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire and shoulder range of motion, strength, and muscular endurance were measured. Participants were divided into 3 groups: breast cancer involving the nondominant limb (BC-ND), breast cancer involving the dominant limb (BC-DOM), and CTRL.

Results: A total of 59 women in the CTRL group, 23 …

Cancer Rehabilitation Publications (2008–2018) With A Focus On Physical Function: A Scoping Review, Shana Harrington, Nicole L. Stout, Elizabeth Hile, Mary Insana Fisher, Melissa Eden, Victoria Marchese, Lucinda Pfalzer

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background: Cancer rehabilitation research has accelerated over the last decade. However, closer examination of the published literature reveals that the majority of this work has focused on psychological interventions and cognitive and behavioral therapies. Recent initiatives have aggregated expert consensus around research priorities, highlighting a dearth in research regarding measurement of and interventions for physical function. Increasingly loud calls for the need to address the myriad of physical functional impairments that develop in people living with and beyond cancer have been published in the literature. A detailed survey of the landscape of published research has not been reported to our …

Acl Injury And Reconstruction Affect Control Of Ground Reaction Forces Produced During A Novel Task That Simulates Cutting Movements, Amelia Lanier, Brian Knarr, Nicholas Stergiou, Lynn Snyder-Mackler, Thomas S. Buchanan

Journal Articles

After anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction, biomechanical and neuromuscular control deficits persist and 25% of those who have experienced an ACL injury will experience a second ACL rupture in the first year after returning to sports. There remains a need for improved rehabilitation and the ability to detect an individual's risk of secondary ACL rupture. Nonlinear analysis metrics, such as the largest Lyapunov exponent (LyE) can provide new biomechanical insight in this population by identifying how movement patterns evolve over time. The purpose of this study was to determine how ACL injury, ACL reconstruction (ACLR), and participation in …

Guidelines For Reviewers: Topics In Exercise Science And Kinesiology, James W. Navalta, Donald L. Hoover, Robert Salatto, Whitley J. Stone, Scott Lyons Phd

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

• The purpose of this document is to serve as a guide for evaluators who agree to review work submitted to Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology.
• To assist evaluators, a Reviewer Rubric has been created with the following sections: Title Page and Abstract, Introduction and Methods Page, Point of Application Page(s), Other Considerations, and Reviewer Decisions.
• Point of application: Reviewing the Title and Abstract page – rubric shared for title, author list, affiliations, the abstract, and key words.
• Point of application: Reviewing the Introduction and Methods page – evaluation of introductory paragraph, paragraph for methodology and/or results.
• Point of …

You Say “Goodbye,” And I Say, “Hello, Hello, Hello.”, Mary I. Fisher

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ground Contact Time Imbalances Strongly Related To Impaired Running Economy, Dustin P. Joubert, Nicholas A. Guerra, Eric J. Jones, Erica G. Knowles, Aaron D. Piper

Faculty Publications

Running economy (RE) is defined as the oxygen consumption (VO2) or caloric unit cost required to move at a specific velocity and is an important performance marker. Ground contact time (GCT) has been associated with RE; however, it has not been established how GCT imbalances between feet impact RE. Purpose: Determine the relationship between cadence, GCT, and GCT imbalances and RE. Methods: 11 NCAA Division I distance runners (7 male) completed a graded exercise test on a treadmill to determine lactate threshold (LT) and VO2max. Body composition was also assessed via DEXA. Subjects ran with a heart rate monitor capable …

Validity And Reliability Of Three-Dimensional Imaging To Measure Limb Volume: A Systematic Review, Rachel Kremer, Madison Elizabeth Wolfe, Noah James Brueckner, Michaela Claire Viola, Mary Insana Fisher

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Introduction: Approximately 30% of women treated for breast cancer will develop lymphedema, yet early identification can prevent this occurrence. It is important to accurately and efficiently measure limb volume to identify pre-clinical lymphedema. Three-dimensional (3 D) imaging is emerging as a potential method to meet the need for accuracy and efficiency. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the psychometrics of 3 D imaging to measure limb volume.

Methods: A systematic search of 4 databases was conducted for articles using 3 D imaging to measure limb volume. Articles were included that compared 3 D imaging to water displacement using …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha Department Of Biomechanics Annual Report 2019-2020, Department Of Biomechanics, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Biomechanics Annual Report

This report contains:

A letter from the Director: Dr. Nick Stergiou

Articles on research that impacts the community

Article about the Movcentr Impact

Articles on Expanding horizons

Article on the people of UNO Biomechanics

Student Centered articles

Articles on Community Engagement

and Fun.

Development Of Rat Head Finite Element Model And Tissue Level Biomechanical Threshold For Traumatic Axonal Injury, Runzhou Zhou

Wayne State University Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by local tissue deformation at the time of trauma, leading to neurological dysfunction. In the United States alone, 2.87 million people sustain a TBI each year, of which one-fifth results in death. Traumatic axonal injury (TAI) is a well-recognized consequence of every fatal head injury and more than 85% of vehicular crash-related blunt head injuries. The most common and important pathologic feature of TBIs are multifocal changes to axons in the white matter produced by rapid head acceleration/deceleration during a traumatic event with consequent local shear/tension on neural tissue and axons contributing to secondary …

Effects Of Slope Upon Hind Limb Kinematics In Chukar Partridge (Alectoris Chukar), Anna T. Kenney

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Ground dwelling birds must scale all kinds of complex terrain in order to survive in their natural environments. For instance, Alectoris chukar live on steep hillsides with slopes of up to 60° or 172.3% slope. We undertook the present study to improve understanding of how birds successfully traverse such complex terrain. Using a high speed camera, we analyzed the hind limb kinematics of chukars during normal locomotion on a 10° and 35° incline, decline, and level slope. We compared the data collected from the video recordings, which we had used to identify and digitize the bony landmarks, between all conditions. …

Biomechanical Comparison Of "Old" And "New" Cheer Shoes In Collegiate Cheerleaders, Abigail C. Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: The sport of cheerleading requires that athletes perform with a high degree of flexibility, strength, endurance, and balance. The leading injury in cheerleading is a lateral, inversion, ankle sprain. As footwear serves as an interface between the foot and the surrounding environment, characteristics of shoes should be monitored to determine the effects on proprioceptive communication. No previous literature was found that examined the biomechanical differences between “Old” and “New” shoes in collegiate cheerleaders. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the biomechanical differences exhibited by collegiate cheerleaders while performing balance testing and step-down, landing tasks in “old” …

Form And Function Of The California Sea Lion (Zalophus Californianus) Hindflippers: Control Surfaces For Subaqueous Maneuvers, Ariel Leahy

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The hindflippers of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) have previously been overlooked as aquatic control surfaces. Although passively trailed in rectilinear swimming, the hindflippers are abducted into a delta-wing shape during aquatic maneuvers. As the anatomy of sea lion hindflippers had not previously been described, anatomical/morphological examinations were completed via scaled measurements and dissections. It was found that the tendons of Flexor Hallucis Longus and Flexor Digitorum Longus insert into the collagen matrix of the crenellations instead of onto bone and the tendons of Flexor Digitorum Brevis contain foramen through which the tendons of Flexor Digitorum Longus pass. …

Effet De L’Expertise Et Du Sexe Sur Les Contraintes À L’Épaule En Manutention, Etienne Goubault, Romain Martinez, Najoua Assila, Jennifer Dowling-Medley, Élodie Monga-Dubreuil, Sophie-Anne Scherrer, André Plamondon, Mickaël Begon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’atteinte de troubles musculosquelettiques (TMS) parmi les travailleurs et travailleuses au Québec était récemment estimée à 732 000 cas (Stock et al., 2014). Ces TMS sont associés aux activités professionnelles impliquant des efforts physiques prolongés, intenses et/ou répétitifs, telles que des tâches d’assemblage, de manutention, d’aide à la personne ou encore de maintien de posture prolongée sur un poste de travail. Les membres supérieurs, qui représentaient 30,1 % des cas de TMS déclarés et acceptés au Québec de 1998 à 2007 (Michel et al., 2010), sont les plus touchés après le dos. Plus particulièrement, l’épaule figure comme l’articulation …

Where Do We Go From Here? A Forward-Thinking Vision For Physiology Undergraduate Education, Nancy M. Aguilar-Roca, Lisa C. Anderson, Anne R. Crecelius, Michelle B. French, Katie Johnson, Jenny L. Mcfarland, Jennifer Rogers, Claudia I. Stanescu, Erica A. Wehrwein

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

This paper is a summary of the special collection of papers in Advances in Physiology Education dedicated to the Physiology Majors Interest Group (P-MIG). P-MIG is a new and vibrant community (1, 2) of educators and administrators who are united by the common goal of creating physiology courses, curricula and programs that will prepare our students for the future. It is an independent consortium that welcomes anyone interested in physiology education at the level of the undergraduate degree in physiology and physiology-related fields. As demonstrated by this special collection of papers of Advances in Physiology Education, P-MIG has already made …

The Effects Of Advancing Stages Of Pregnancy On Balance And Stair Locomotion In Healthy Females, Heather Vanderhoof

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: One in four females fall while pregnant, which may lead to injury, hospitalization, or birth complications. No empirical research has been conducted on single-limb support (SLS) balance or joint kinematics during stair locomotion in pregnant and postpartum females. The aim of this study was to quantify possible alterations to postural control and stair kinematics in advancing stages of pregnancy when compared to non-pregnant females. Methods: This cross-sectional study compared eighteen females, consisting of six non-pregnant controls, five 2nd trimester, four 3rd trimester, and three postpartum. Center of pressure excursion area data were obtained during static balance trials on a …

Modular Footwear That Partially Offsets Downhill Or Uphill Grades Minimizes The Metabolic Cost Of Human Walking, Prokopios Antonellis, Cory M. Frederick, Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi, Philippe Malcolm

Journal Articles

Walking on different grades becomes challenging on energetic and muscular levels compared to level walking. While it is not possible to eliminate the cost of raising or lowering the centre of mass (COM), it could be possible to minimize the cost of distal joints with shoes that offset downhill or uphill grades. We investigated the effects of shoe outsole geometry in 10 participants walking at 1 m s−1 on downhill, level and uphill grades. Level shoes minimized metabolic rate during level walking (Psecond-order effect < 0.001). However, shoes that entirely offset the (overall) treadmill grade did not minimize the metabolic rate of walking on grades: shoes with a +3° (upward) inclination minimized metabolic rate during downhill walking on a −6° grade, and shoes with a −3° (downward) inclination minimized metabolic rate during uphill walking on a +6° grade (P interaction effect = 0.023). Shoe inclination influenced (distal) ankle joint parameters, including soleus muscle activity, ankle moment and work rate, whereas treadmill grade influenced (whole-body) ground reaction force and COM work rate as well as (distal) ankle joint parameters including tibialis anterior and plantarflexor muscle activity, ankle moment and work rate. Similar modular footwear could be used to minimize joint loads or assist with walking on rolling terrain.

Linear And Nonlinear Measures Of Postural Control In A Toddler With Cerebral Palsy: Brief Report, Samuel R. Pierce, Athylia C. Paremski, Julie Skorup, Nicholas Stergiou, Ben Senderling, Laura A. Prosser

Journal Articles

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to describe changes in linear and nonlinear measures of postural control along with motor outcomes in a young child with cerebral palsy.

Summary of Key Points:

Posturography in sitting and standing, the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66), and the Early Clinical Assessment of Balance (ECAB) were performed prior to, during, and after physical therapy. The child demonstrated independent sitting throughout the study and developed independent standing during the study. He made improvements in the GMFM-66 and ECAB throughout the study. Higher average values were found in all linear and nonlinear measures in standing …

Atv Dynamics And Pediatric Rider Safety, James T. Auxier Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

It has been observed through numerous academic and governmental agency studies that pediatric all-terrain vehicle ridership carries significant risk of injury and death. While no doubt valuable to safety, the post-hoc approach employed in these studies does little to explain the why and how behind the risk factors. Furthermore, there has been no prolonged, widespread, organized, and concerted effort to reconstruct and catalog the details and causes of the large (20,000+) number of ATV-related injuries that occur each year as has been done for road-based motor vehicle accidents. This dissertation takes the opposite approach from a meta-analysis and instead examines …

Is Postural Control During Unstable Sitting A Proxy Measure For Determinants Associated With Lumbar Stability?, Christian Larivière, Richard Preuss, Daniel Ludvig, Sharon M. Henry

Études primaires

Abstract

The aim of this study was to test whether determinants associated with lumbar stability can predict performance during unstable sitting (trunk postural control - TPC). If confirmed, unstable sitting could be viewed as a proxy measure for these determinants. Wobbling chair motion was measured in 58 subjects with an inertial sensor, and six outcomes were computed (mean frequency and velocity, frequency dispersion, two variables from the sway density analysis and Lyapunov exponent - short interval) to represent TPC performance. Subjects also performed five other trunk neuromuscular tests to quantify the thickness of back and abdominal muscles and …

Subject-Specific Regression Equations To Estimate Lower Spinal Loads During Symmetric And Asymmetric Static Lifting, F. Ghezelbash, A. Shirazi-Adl, Z. El Ouaaid, A. Plamondon, N. Arjmand

Études primaires

Workplace safety assessment, personalized treatment design and back pain prevention programs require accurate subject-specific estimation of spinal loads. Since no noninvasive method can directly estimate spinal loads, easy-to-use regression equations that are constructed based on the results of complex musculoskeletal models appear as viable alternatives. Thus, we aim to develop subject-specific regression equations of L4-L5 and L5-S1 shear and compression forces during various symmetric/asymmetric tasks using a nonlinear personalized finite element musculoskeletal trunk model. Kinematics and electromyography (EMG) activities of 19 young healthy subjects were collected during 64 different symmetric/asymmetric tasks. To investigate the reliability and accuracy of the musculoskeletal …

Comparing Knee Joint Mechanics Across Phases Of The Menstrual Cycle, Bethany Kilpatrick

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most commonly occurring knee injury. Compared to men in the same sports, females are two to eight times at higher risk for ACL injury. Research suggests that hormone fluctuations across the menstrual cycle (MC) play a crucial role in ACL injuries due to their effect on tendons and ligament's mechanical properties. PURPOSE: To examine knee joint laxity during dynamic movements across three-time points of the MC. METHODS: Seven young, healthy females with regular MCs performed three jump-landing tasks (double leg depth jump, single-leg lateral jump, and single-leg forward jump) across the early-follicular, …

The Effects Of A 6-Week Controlled Whole-Body Vibration Training Program In Reducing Falls Risk Among Healthy Older Adults, Fabricio Saucedo Jr.

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Falling is the second leading cause of accidental or injury-related death in the aging population worldwide and a leading cause of serious injury. Whole-body vibration (WBV) training has been implemented as a way to improve functional performance among the elderly and reduce the falls risk. The purposes of this study were: 1) examine to what extent a six-week course of WBV training reduced falls risk and improved fall outcomes in response to slips, and 2) examine whether the benefits of WBV training could be retained at least 2 months after the completion of the entire training session. A total of …

A Full Collegiate Volleyball Season Does Not Influence Jumping Or Landing Performance In Freshmen And Sophomore Players, Christian Noel Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Knee injuries are devastating and typically experienced by athletes when performing jumping and landing tasks throughout a complete collegiate volleyball season. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in lower extremity strength, frontal plane knee angles and moments, jump performance during a countermovement and approach jump before and after a complete Division I collegiate volleyball season in female volleyball freshman and sophomores. Eight freshman/sophomore female collegiate volleyball players participated in the study. Lower extremity strength was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer, kinematic and kinetic data were obtained through three-dimensional motion capture system and force platforms, respectively. Participants performed …

The Influence Of Over-Ground Versus Treadmill Walking On Gait Mechanics In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emily Ann Chavez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Treadmill (TM) walking may be a way to combat obesity and socio-behavioral barriers associated with children with Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD), though tripping-risk has not yet been assessed for this population through use of spatial-temporal gait analysis. The aim of this project/study was to examine spatial-temporal walking mechanics and lower extremity tripping descriptors between over ground (OG) and TM gait conditions in children with ASD compared to children with neurotypical development (NT). Kinematics data were obtained through tridimensional motion analysis where participants, 10 children with ASD and 9 age- and sexmatched NT controls, were outfitted with retroreflective markers on their …