Biomechanics Commons^™

Gait Variability Is Affected More By Peripheral Artery Disease Than By Vascular Occlusion, Hafizur Rahman, Iraklis Pipinos, Jason M. Johanning, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

Background

Patients with peripheral artery disease with intermittent claudication (PAD-IC) have altered gait variability from the first step they take, well before the onset of claudication pain. The mechanisms underlying these gait alterations are poorly understood.

Aims

To determine the effect of reduced blood flow on gait variability by comparing healthy older controls and patients with PAD-IC. We also determined the diagnostic value of gait variability parameters to identify the presence of PAD.

Methods

A cross-sectional cohort design was used. Thirty healthy older controls and thirty patients with PAD-IC walked on a treadmill at their self-selected speed in pain free …

Efficacy Of The Opensim Simulator As A Tool To Detect Changes In Gait: A Peripheral Artery Disease Model, Cody Anderson, Hafiz Rahman, Irakis Pipinos, Jason Johanning, Sara Myers

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

INTRODUCTION

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is characterized by atherosclerotic plaques in the leg arteries. A common treatment for PAD is supervised exercise training [1]. However, gait is not fully restored following supervised exercise training (SET). Musculoskeletal simulation may provide insight into how muscle activation changes following SET contributed to persistent gait alterations.

METHODS

Kinematic and kinetic data from overground walking of patients with PAD (n=12), before and after a 6-month exercise intervention, was used as input for musculoskeletal modeling (OpenSim). The subjects in our sample were subdivided based on the location of ischemic muscle pain, as reported on the San …

A Systematic Review: Long Range Correlations In Running Gait, Mr. Taylor Wilson

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Long range correlations (LRCs) are apparent in human walking and running gait and are indicative of a healthy system. A systematic review (SR) was completed to determine the typical LRC patterns in running. 20 articles were included in the SR. LRCs in running gait tend to be similar to the LRCs in walking gait, with fatigue contributing to a negative effect on the LRCs.

This SR could have implications on training guidelines for coaches and physical therapy methods to increase the LRCs in running gait for healthier functioning. More research is needed to determine how LRCs depend on running surface …

Development Of A Modular Activity-Specific Upper Limb Prosthesis, Rahul Raj

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The use of activity-specific upper-limb prosthesis helps children with upper-limb loss to engage in functional and recreational activities, such as music and sports. The purpose of this study was to develop a modular activity-specific prosthesis and develop a remote-fitting procedure. We evaluated patient satisfaction after using the device for 8 weeks and evaluated anthropometric and range of motion (ROM) measurements of the residual limb after use of the prosthesis. We enrolled 7 children with unilateral trans-radial amputations between 7 and 12 years of age. The modular activity- specific prosthesis was specifically designed for playing musical instruments and sports. A survey …

Biomechanical Assessment Of The Lower Extremity Following An Unexpected Ankle Perturbation, Emilia Gladys Schempp

Theses and Dissertations

A deeper understanding of the response to an unexpected ankle perturbation could help provide insight into ankle sprain injury avoidance strategies. This study compared lower extremity electromyographic and kinematic measures between unexpected ankle perturbation and normal walking conditions, including muscle amplitudes and reaction times, dominant limb joint angles and velocities. Trial conditions included a walking control condition, unexpected 30° inversion, and unexpected 18° combined inversion and plantarflexion. With randomized trials, 20 healthy volunteers walked along the custom-built walkway that unexpectedly released into the described ankle perturbations. Significant differences were found for peak and average EMG of the peroneus longus and …

The Effect Of Load On The Kinetics And Kinematics Of The Lower Extremity During Landing, Michael Akira Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To understand the differences in the lower extremity kinetics and kinematics as load increases during jump landings. Methods: Ten male participants (20.4 years ± 2.41 years, 108.8kg ± 14.02kg) took part in two testing sessions. The first testing session involved testing each participant’s 1-repetition max in the hexagonal barbell deadlift. The second testing session involved the data collection of the jumping trials for each participant. Participants performed their countermovement jumps under seven randomized conditions. Six of the conditions involved the hex bar using loads equivalent to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60% estimated 1-repetition max of the hexagonal …

Foot Contact Dynamics And Fall Risk Among Children Diagnosed With Idiopathic Toe Walking, Rahul Soangra, Michael Shiraishi, Richard Beuttler, Michelle Gwerder, Lou Anne Boyd, Venkatesan Muthukumar, Mohamed Trabia, Afshin Aminian, Marybeth Grant-Beuttler

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Children that are diagnosed with Idiopathic Toe walking (cITW) are characterized by persistent toe-to-toe contacts. The objective of this study was to explore whether typical foot contact dynamics during walking predisposes cITW to a higher risk of falling. Twenty cITW and age-matched controls performed typical and toe walking trials. The gait parameters related to foot contact dynamics, vertical force impulses during stance, slip, and trip risk were compared for both groups. We found that cITW manifest less stable gait and produced significantly higher force impulses during push-off. Additionally, we found that cITW had a higher slip-initiation risk that was associated …

Examining Physical Activity In Users Of Campus Recreation During Campus Closure Due To Covid-19. Journal Of Kinesiology And Wellness, Katie Burcal, Michaela Schenkelberg, Jeanne Surface, Danae Dinkel

Journal Articles

Burcal K., et. al. Campus recreation facilities are a critical resource to encourage physical activity at universities. COVID-19 closures in 2020 led to the shutdown of many campuses, which included campus recreation facilities. Little is known about how the closures impacted the physical activity levels of students, faculty, and staff who relied on campus recreation for physical activity opportunities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if individuals who were users of campus recreation prior to campus closure continued to be physically active when campus closed. The survey was completed by 282 previous users (students, faculty, and staff) …

Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Screening Tool Practices Among Athletic Trainers In Secondary School And Collegiate Settings, Megan B. Fowler, Elizabeth R. Neil, Cameron J. Powden

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

Purpose: Musculoskeletal (MSK) screening tools can allow athletic trainers (AT) to focus prevention efforts by providing patient risk information. The purpose of this study is to examine lower extremity MSK screening tool practices and perceptions of ATs in traditional settings. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to 4,937 full- and part-time collegiate and secondary school ATs randomly selected by the NATA. MSK screening tools were grouped into 7 categories: Range of Motion (ROM), Strength, Balance, Drop and Jump Landing (D/J Land), Double- and Single-Leg Hopping (D/S Hop), Movement Quality (MQual), and Injury History (History). For each screening tool …

Indiana Secondary School Athletic Directors Perceptions Of Athletic Training Services And Influences On Hiring Athletic Trainers, Thomas J. Greffly, Matthew Rivera, Lindsey E. Eberman

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

Indiana Secondary School Athletic Directors Perceptions of Athletic Training Services and Influences on Hiring Athletic Trainers

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to examine ADs perceptions on satisfaction of current care provided, factors influencing the hiring of ATs, and the roles and responsibilities of ATs.

Methods: We used a mixed methods design with an online survey (Qualtrics^®, Provo, UT), which we distributed to Indiana secondary school ADs (n = 410) with publicly available emails. The survey remained open for 5 weeks with reminder emails sent weekly. We used a panel (n=2) with experience in survey research …

Examination Of Anger Prevalence In Ncaa Division I Student-Athletes, Robert Madden, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Samantha R. Weber, Erin M. Moore, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

Purpose: Anger associated with sports participation may affect inability to acutely process anger, may decrease performance and increase the likelihood of risk-taking behavior in collegiate athletes. Therefore, the purpose was to examine the prevalence of anger in collegiate student-athletes across sex, academic status, and sport type. Methods: A cross sectional study over a three-year period examined 759 NCAA Division I student-athletes at one institution (age=20±1 years; males: n=259; females: n=500) completed an optional pre-participation behavioral health screening questionnaire, personal demographic information and the Anger Index Self-Test. Results: Overall, 37.2% (n=282/759; males=127/259, 49.0%; females=155/500, 31.0%) of participants were at …

Modeling Individual Muscle Forces In The Lower Extremity During Loaded And Unloaded Hexbar Vertical Jumps, Abigail Salvadore

Theses and Dissertations

Hexagonal barbell (HB) loaded jumps are often used in training to increase lower extremity power. Given the importance of coordinated muscular effort in achieving maximal power output, an understanding of how the lower extremity musculature individually performs during loaded jumps would be advantageous. The purpose of this study is to describe the effect of load on individual muscle forces, muscle torques, and the contribution to the net joint moment (NJM) during the concentric phase of loaded HB jumps.10 male collegiate athletes performed 5 maximal HB jumps at 0%, 20%, 40% and 60% of their HB deadlift 1-repetition maximum. Filtered Ground …

Considerations For Implementation Of An Ankle-Foot Orthosis To Improve Mobility In Peripheral Artery Disease, Ayisha Bashir, Danae Dinkel, Ganesh M. Bapat, Holly Despiegelaere, Mahdi Hassan, Jason M. Johanning, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

Objective

To explore the perceptions of wearing an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) who did and did not adopt the AFO intervention. This follows a clinical trial of the effectiveness of an AFO in improving walking distances for patients with PAD-related claudication.

Design

A randomized crossover trial of standard of care and an AFO for 3 months. Semistructured interviews were conducted 1.5 months into the AFO intervention to understand acceptability, demand, implementation, and practicality. Data were analyzed using a summative content analysis approach.

Setting

Vascular surgery clinic and biomechanics research laboratory.

Participants

Patients (N=15; …

Examining Differences In Achievement Of Physical Activity Best Practices Between Urban And Rural Child Care Facilities By Age, Danae Dinkel, John Rech, Yage Guo, Matthew R. Bice, Emily Hulse, Donnia Behrends, Christina Burger, Dipti Dev

Journal Articles

Go Nutrition and Physical activity Self Assessment in Child Care (NAP SACC) is an evidence based intervention developed to positively impact childhood obesity in early childhood education (ECE) facilities. One focus of Go NAP SACC is the development of physical activity best practices. However, little research has examined differences in achievement of best practices based on age of child and geographic location. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the achievement of physical activity best practices between urban and rural childcare facilities by age-specific recommendations (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) and in the overall physical activity environment. Urban …

Marker Placement Reliability And Objectivity For Biomechanical Cohort Study: Healthy Aging In Industrial Environment (Haie—Program 4), Jan Malus, Jiri Skypala, Julia Freedman Silvernail, Jaroslav Uchytil, Joseph Hamill, Tomas Barot, Daniel Jandacka

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

In large cohort studies, due to the time-consuming nature of the measurement of movement biomechanics, more than one evaluator needs to be involved. This may increase the potential occurrence of error due to inaccurate positioning of markers to the anatomical locations. The pur-pose of this study was to determine the reliability and objectivity of lower limb segments length by multiple evaluators in a large cohort study concerning healthy aging in an industrial environment. A total of eight evaluators performed marker placements on five participants on three different days. Evaluators placed markers bilaterally on specific anatomical locations of the pelvis, thigh, …

A Cross-Sectional Examination Of Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, And Sleep Between Adults With And Without Children In The Home Using The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, Danae Dinkel, Kelsey Lu, Jemima John, Kailey Snyder, Lisette T. Joacobson

Journal Articles

Background: Physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and sleep are interconnected, promoting optimal health. Few studies have examined these factors holistically. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to capture the 24-hour activity cycles of the US population by examining PA, sedentary behavior, and sleep based on the presence of a child within the home, as well as gender and weight. Methods: Cross-sectional health-related variables from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for analysis. The primary variables were the total and type of PA (recreation, work, and active transportation), sedentary behavior, and sleep. Chi-square and regression …

Characteristics Of Physiology And Physiology-Related Pre-Health Degree Programs In The Physiology Majors Interest Group, Yvonne Ogrodzinski, Erica A. Wehrwein, Kevin Kelly, James M. Poteracki, Valerie Vanryn, Anne R. Crecelius

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

The Physiology Majors Interest Group (P-MIG), a grassroots organization of educators, has collected data on the history and characteristics of Physiology and highly related undergraduate programs (ex: Human Biology, Pre-Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, etc.) that serve a common population of prehealth students. Data was obtained as part of an online survey sent out to P-MIG conference attendees at the 2017-2019 annual meetings (n=30). Participating institutions indicate that 25.9% have degrees called Physiology aligned with 28% being housed in a department of physiology, 75.9% are a Bachelor of Science program, 34.9% are affiliated with a College of Arts and Sciences, and 80% …

Reliability Of A Barre-Mounted Dynamometer-Stabilizing Device In Measuring Dance-Specific Muscle Performance, Melissa Strzelinksi, Lori Thein Brody, Jo Armour Smith, Shaw Bronner

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND: Hand-held dynamometry is considered an efficient, effective, and portable means of objectively measuring lower extremity strength; however, it has yet to be studied specific to dance-relevant muscle performance. Also, dynamometry is often criticized for variability in results based on tester strength and sex. Use of an external stabilizing device has been suggested to minimize differences in outcomes between male and female testers by reducing variability associated with tester strength limitations. Therefore, this study used a barre-mounted, portable dynamometer stabilizing device to improve consistency of results among different testers for assessing hip and lower extremity muscle performance in dance-relevant positions. …

Is The Acsm And Friend Metabolic Equations Valid For Assessing Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among 18-34 Aged Men? : Preliminary Results, Marc-Olivier Dugas, Laurie Simard, Tommy Chevrette, Martin Lavalliere

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 2: Issue 1, Article 2, 2021. Metabolic equations, such as ACSM and FRIEND, are used worldwide to indirectly measure the VO₂max in adults, but lack of accuracy seems to occur. 30 men of 18-34 years old performed a maximal incremental test on a treadmill during which direct VO₂max measurements was taken and then have been compared to ACSM and FRIEND metabolic equations. Point of application #1: Better evaluation and exercise prescription among athletic populations. Point of application #2: Act in prevention among sedentary and symptomatic populations. Point of application …

Mental Health Mobile App Use: Considerations For Serving Underserved Patients In Integrated Primary Care Settings, Margaret R. Emerson, Jennifer Harsh Caspari, Maxine Notice, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Danae Dinkel, Josiane Kabayundo

Journal Articles

Depression, the most commonly experienced mental illness, affects more than 264 million people and is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide [1]. Depression, or major depressive disorder, is characterized by depressed mood and often accompanies other symptoms such as lack of interest, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, impaired thinking, psychomotor agitation or slowing, thoughts of being better off dead and/or of suicide [2]. According to the 2018 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 17.7 million or 7.7% of U.S. adults met the criteria for having a major depressive episode in the past year [ …

Développement D’Un Outil Personnalisé D’Aide À La Décision En Vue De Minimiser Les Risques En Manutention Impliquant Des Postures Symétriques Et Asymétriques, Aboulfazl Shirazi-Adl, Navid Arjmand, André Plamondon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les charges excessives imposées sur la colonne vertébrale lombaire constituent un facteur de risques important pour les maux de dos. La modélisation biomécanique de la colonne vertébrale est la seule approche non invasive permettant d’estimer ces charges, mais la complexité de ces modèles limite leur utilisation par des ergonomes. Pour aider ces derniers à identifier des situations à risque de blessures au dos afin de limiter le chargement aux structures lombaires, il existe des outils d’aide à la décision comme l’équation de levage du NIOSH (Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation, Waters et al., 1993) ainsi que les tables …

Material Properties And Application Of Biomechanical Principles Provide Significant Motion Control Performance In Experimental Ankle Foot Orthosis-Footwear Combination, Christopher F. Hovorka, Géza F. Kogler, Young Hui Chang, Robert Gregor

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

© 2021 The Author(s) Background: This study, the first of its kind, originated with the need for a brace (an ankle foot orthosis), to constrain ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion within a motion threshold of < 5°. A conventional thermoplastic, solid brace failed during a quasi-static loading study, informing the investigation and development of an experimental carbon composite brace, maximizing stiffness and proximity of shank and foot cylindrical shells to provide the required degree of control. Methods: Two experiments were conducted: a quasi-static loading study, using cadaveric limbs (n = 2), and a gait study with healthy subjects (n = 14). Conditions tested were STOP, FREE, and CONTROL. Data for all studies were collected using six motion-capture cameras (Vicon, Oxford, UK; 120 Hz) tracking bone-anchored markers (cadaveric limbs) and skin-anchored markers (subjects). In the quasi-static loading study, loading conditions were congruent with the gait study. Study 1 involved a quasi-static loading analysis using cadaveric limbs, compared motion data from a conventional thermoplastic solid brace and the experimental brace. Study 2 involved quantifying ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion in subjects during treadmill walking, in brace STOP, FREE, and CONTROL conditions. Findings: The experimental brace in STOP condition consistently constrained ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion below the motion threshold of < 5°, across all studies. Interpretation: Collectively, these findings demonstrate (1) that a conventional thermoplastic, solid brace was ineffective for clinical applications that required significant motion control, and (2) that ankle motion control is most effective when considered as a relationship between the brace, the ankle-foot complex, and the external forces that affect them both.

Perspectives Of Infant Active Play: A Qualitative Comparison Of Working Versus Stay-At-Home Parents, Kailey Snyder, John Rech, Kimberly Masuda, Danae Dinkel

Journal Articles

Background: Parents play a key role in infant’s development through their interactions and the type of environment they provide to promote active play. The amount of time parents are able to spend with their infant is dependent on their working status, yet few studies have explored parent perception of their infant’s active play by working status. The purpose of this study was to explore parent perception of active play and compare responses between working and stay-at-home parents. Methods: Twenty-nine parents participated in this qualitative study by completing a one-time, in-person semistructured interview based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Themes …

Inferior Auditory Time Perception In Children With Motor Difficulties, Andrew Chang, Yao-Chuen Li, Jennifer F. Chan, Dobromir Dotov, John Cairney, Laurel Trainor

Journal Articles

Accurate time perception is crucial for hearing (speech, music) and action (walking, catching). Motor brain regions are recruited during auditory time perception. Therefore, the hypothesis was tested that children (age 6–7) at risk for developmental coordination disorder (rDCD), a neurodevelopmental disorder involving motor difficulties, would show nonmotor auditory time perception deficits. Psychophysical tasks confirmed that children with rDCD have poorer duration and rhythm perception than typically developing children (N = 47, d = 0.95–1.01). Electroencephalography showed delayed mismatch negativity or P3a event-related potential latency in response to duration or rhythm deviants, reflecting inefficient brain processing (N = 54, …

Age And Sex Differences In Load-Induced Tibial Cortical Bone Surface Strain Maps, Alessandra Carriero, Behzad Javaheri, Neda Bassir Kazeruni, Andrew A. Pitsillides, Sandra J. Shefelbine

Publications and Research

Bone adapts its architecture to the applied load; however, it is still unclear how bone mechano-adaptation is coordinated and why potential for adaptation adjusts during the life course. Previous animal models have suggested strain as the mechanical stimulus for bone adaptation, but yet it is unknown how mouse cortical bone load-related strains vary with age and sex. In this study, full-field strain maps (at 1 N increments up to 12 N) on the bone surface were measured in young, adult, and old (aged 10, 22 weeks, and 20 months, respectively), male and female C57BL/6J mice with load applied using a …

Important Updates To Submission Types In Topics In Exercise Science And Kinesiology, James W. Navalta, Donald L. Hoover, Robert Salatto, Whitley J. Stone, Scott Lyons

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 2: Issue 1, Article 1, 2021. While Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology (TESK) was originally designed to fill a void in publishing applied information for practitioners in physical activity and sport, the TESK editors have determined a need to update the submission categories. The categories of Process of Science and Implementation Strategies have been retained, and three new types of submissions now will be accepted: Expedited Articles, Review Articles, and Case Studies. Process of Science submissions should seek to answer the question, “What was learned from the experience of performing the investigation?”, …

Collective Music Listening: Movement Energy Is Enhanced By Groove And Visual Social Cues, Dobromir Dotov, Dan Bosnyak, Laurel Trainor

Journal Articles

The regularity of musical beat makes it a powerful stimulus promoting movement synchrony among people. Synchrony can increase interpersonal trust, affiliation, and cooperation. Musical pieces can be classified according to the quality of groove; the higher the groove, the more it induces the desire to move. We investigated questions related to collective music-listening among 33 participants in an experiment conducted in a naturalistic yet acoustically controlled setting of a research concert hall with motion tracking. First, does higher groove music induce (1) movement with more energy and (2) higher interpersonal movement coordination? Second, does visual social information manipulated by …

Trial Of Newgait System To Alter Running Mechanics In High School Athlete: A Case Report, Kathy Tooman, Jozie Weiler, Stacy Ruotsala, Sarah Breen

Other

Trial of NewGait System to Alter Running Mechanics in High School Athlete: a Case Report

Measuring Freezing Of Gait During Daily-Life: An Open-Source, Wearable Sensors Approach, Martina Mancini, Vrutangkumar V. Shah, Samuel Stuart, Carolin Curtze, Fay B. Horak, Delaram Safarpour, John G. Nutt

Journal Articles

Background

Although a growing number of studies focus on the measurement and detection of freezing of gait (FoG) in laboratory settings, only a few studies have attempted to measure FoG during daily life with body-worn sensors. Here, we presented a novel algorithm to detect FoG in a group of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the laboratory (Study I) and extended the algorithm in a second cohort of people with PD at home during daily life (Study II).

Methods

In Study I, we described of our novel FoG detection algorithm based on five inertial sensors attached to the feet, shins …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha Department Of Biomechanics Annual Report 2020-2021, Department Of Biomechanics, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Biomechanics Annual Report

This report contains:

A letter from the Director: Dr. Nick Stergiou

Articles about the Department of Biomechanics' reach

Articles on research that impacts the community

Article about the Movcentr Impact

Articles on how the department persevered and responded during the pandemic

Article on the people of UNO Biomechanics

Student Centered articles

and In the News.