Biomechanics Commons^™

An Investigation Of Aed Access In One Secondary School, Michelle Skaggs, Laura L. Harris

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

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the accessibility and time required to retrieve and apply Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) against established standards.

Athletic Trainer Confidence In The Management Of Abdominal Injuries And Gi Conditions, Emily C. Roberts, Janet E. Simon

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

OBJECTIVE

Inadequate evidence, position statements, clinical practice and post-surgical guidelines challenge athletic trainers’ capabilities to provide care for abdominal injuries and GI conditions.^1-4 The primary objective of this study is to assess athletic trainers’ confidence in the management and treatment of abdominal injuries and GI conditions compared to musculoskeletal injuries.

The Effect Of Task Demands On Decision Making In Dynamic, Sport-Like Virtual Environments, Jeromy Alt, Paula L. Silva, Tehran Davis, Adam W. Kiefer, Ryan Macpherson

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

OBJECTIVE

To determine if level of temporal pressure to arrive at a desired location explains decisions about passability of closing gaps between opponents encountered and how decisions change with task experience.

The Effect Of Ankle Foot Orthotics On Collegiate Athletes’ Sprint Biomechanics, Elizabeth A. Starns, Paige Tucker

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

OBJECTIVE

Carbon composite dynamic response ankle foot orthotics (CCDRAFOs) are lightweight ankle braces originally made to help pathologically involved legs walk more efficiently¹. Since CCDRAFOs are traditionally not used on able-bodied individuals, there is limited information on the effects of CCDRAFOs on sprint performance of able-bodied athletes. However, the technology behind CCDRAFOs effectiveness has been suggested to have ergogenic aid properties^2-5. This study’s purpose was to evaluate the effects of CCDRAFOs on collegiate athletes’ lower extremity biomechanics, specifically ankle and knee joint angles.

Neurocognitive Performance Differences Between Athletes Who Are Deaf Or Hard-Of-Hearing And Athletes Who Are Hearing, Matthew P. Brancaleone, Jaclyn Caccese, James Onate

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

OBJECTIVE

There are over 71,000 college students in the United States who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HoH), with many participating in athletics. Athletes who are D/HoH have similar concussion rates to athletes who are hearing at the collegiate level. Differences in neurocognitive baseline performance between athletes who are D/HoH and athletes who are hearing may exist due to misunderstanding of written English instructions or differences in sensory processing. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare neurocognitive performance between athletes who are hearing and athletes who are D/HoH.

Using Standardized Patients As A Tool To Explore Student Critical Thinking, Sara Stiltner, Andrea Cripps

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

OBJECTIVE

Standardized patients (SP) are a tool utilized regularly in athletic training to promote student confidence and independent thinking. SP are widely used in nursing, physical therapy, and in over 80% of medical education programs.¹ The use of SP to supplement student learning and career preparation, in the undergraduate setting has been a validated in increasing student confidence.³ SP’s are a tool that utilize an actor trained to portray a patient who has a specific medical condition or illness and the actor is trained to respond to the students in a consistent manner.^1,2 SP’s allow students the …

Mechanical Adaptations To Anterior Load And Fall Risks In Nulliparous Women With Simulated Gestational Weight Gain, Heather Vanderhoof

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Approximately twenty-five percent of pregnant women experience falls during pregnancy, posing significant risks to maternal and fetal health outcomes. However, research on falls in pregnant women remains limited. PURPOSE: This study aimed to address this gap by comparing static postural stability between pregnant and nulliparous women with simulated gestational weight gain (GWG), thus validating the use of simulated pregnancy; and to observe the mechanical influences of simulated GWG on postural stability in static and dynamic conditions. It was hypothesized that increasing simulated GWG would decrease postural stability in single-limb stance, bilateral standing, margin of stability during gait initiation, and dynamic …

Post-Activation Potentiation Following Maximal Effort, Multi-Joint, Isokinetic Eccentric Contractions, Tom Dickey

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Post-activation potentiation (PAP) is a phenomenon that can enhance muscle performance following maximal or near-maximal muscle contractions. While the effects of concentric and isometric conditioning contractions on PAP have been studied, less is known about the influence of eccentric muscle actions. This study investigated the effects of a multi-joint eccentric overload (EOL) protocol on PAP expressed through countermovement jump (CMJ) height and isokinetic peak force (PF) outcome measures. Twenty-eight recreationally trained participants (18-30 years) completed three visits in a randomized, counterbalanced design. Following familiarization, participants performed either an EOL protocol involving 2 sets of 6 maximal isokinetic eccentric contractions or …

Sex Differences In Tibial Compression During Load Carriage Running On Challenging Surfaces, Eric Brian Francis

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Tibial stress fracture is a common and destructive musculoskeletal issue for military, particularly female, personnel. Common military tasks, such as walking and running with body borne load, reportedly lead to lower limb biomechanics that elevate tibial stress fracture risk. Yet, it is unknown if similar increases are evident when running with heavy load – particularly over varied terrain personnel commonly navigate during military exercises. Purpose: This study sought to quantify vertical ground reaction force (GRF) and tibial compression while participants ran with body borne load over challenging surfaces, and determined whether they differed between sexes. Hypothesis: Participants will exhibit …

Learning To Roll: Characterizing Infant Rolling With Biomechanics, Danielle N. Siegel

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Motor skills, like rolling, are an important part of an infant’s cognitive and motor development by facilitating interactions with others and their surrounding environment. Additionally, an infant’s musculoskeletal and motor development is largely affected by their environment and in the U.S., infants spend a majority of their time in commercial infant products, including those at an incline. The biomechanical impacts of infants spending time at an incline is an understudied area, and almost 12,000 emergency room visits occur each year due to injuries involving commercial infant products. Therefore, the overall objective of this study was to understand how an infant’s …

The Effect Of Gentle Yoga On Average Daily Step Count, Francesca D'Agrosa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While walking is a widely accessible form of exercise that is highly effective at increasing overall wellness (Kadir et al., 2019; Zhao et al., 2015) and is a recommended form of physical activity for overweight and obese individuals, studies still indicate low step counts and levels of physical activity in people with obesity (Shultz et al., 2011). Sedentary overweight individuals may avoid walking for several reasons, including physiological and/or biomechanical factors that make walking more difficult. This study attempted to explore and address these avoidant behaviors by employing a single-case ABAB reversal design to implement bi-weekly gentle yoga sessions over …

A Comparison Of Spinal Reflex Function And Morphological Adaptations Of The Achilles Tendon Between Individuals Chronically Post-Stroke And Healthy Controls, Migi Contreras, Mira Seekins, Johanna Mendez, Trevor Diez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Hypothesis: The hallmark gait deviation in individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis is slow walking speed. Reduction in gait speed after stroke is influenced by decreased propulsive forces, which may likely be related to impaired spinal circuit function and spasticity of the paretic plantarflexors. Chronic muscle tone maladaptations in paretic ankle plantarflexors can result in altered Achilles tendon (AT) morphology, therefore leading to altered mechanical properties, force transmission capabilities and subsequent insufficient propulsive forces during walking. The purpose of this study is to characterize the chronic maladaptations in both the spinal Ia afferent loop excitability and AT morphology after stroke lesions in …

The Influence Of Strength And Power Training On The Performance Of U.S. Marines, Kristopher J. Klein

Master of Science in Kinesiology

U.S. Marine Infantry conducts a job that requires strength, speed, and endurance; however military fitness training relies mainly on the endurance aspect. With numerous studies showing the correlation between an endurance mainstay within military organizations, and musculoskeletal and joint overuse injuries, this study seeks to understand the performance value in training the anaerobic energy systems. Specifically, we aim to determine whether strength and power training may be more beneficial to the tactical athlete than traditional training. Over a period of 12 weeks, 150 members of the U.S. Marine Infantry will participate in training five days a week with three days …

Effects Of Balance Training On Spinal Reflexive Excitability Modulation, Corticospinal Excitability, And Balance Performance In Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability, Sunghoon Chung

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a neurophysiologic deficit resulting in diverse sensorimotor impairments. Following acute ankle sprains, pain, mechanical instability, and joint deafferentation reduce sensory input to the central nervous system (CNS). In response, the CNS sends altered motor signals to lower extremity muscles. These CNS changes contribute to various neuromuscular impairments in CAI patients, the most common of which is reduced balance performance. Specifically, CAI patients struggle to modulate spinal reflex excitability of the soleus muscle when progressing from simpler to more complex balance tasks. This overreliance on spinal reflexes results in inconsistent activation of the ankle stabilizing muscle. …

Development And Validation Of A Vehicle Front Profile Finite Element Model To Evaluate Pedestrian Impacts, James Wolf

Master's Theses (2009 -)

In 2021, there were nearly 7500 pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in the U.S., the highest since 1981. Since the year 2000, Europe and Japan have adopted pedestrian crash protection programs for vehicles and have seen a decline in pedestrian fatalities; the U.S. has not yet adopted pedestrian crash protection and has seen an increase in pedestrian fatalities in that same time. European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) outlines a detailed procedure for evaluations of new vehicles for pedestrian safety through headform, upper legform, and lower legform tests. Euro NCAP also uses generic finite element (FE) front-end vehicle models, …

Kinematics Of Bowing The Re-Strung Violin, Sarah Hayden

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Building upon existing research in motor learning and sensorimotor control, this thesis explores how the performance of a real-world task (playing a simple musical piece on the violin) is impacted by the spatial re-arrangement of the violin’s strings, and how performance recovers with practice (relearning). I recorded audio performances and bow kinematics as violinists with a wide range of prior skills played a familiar 2-octave G-Major arpeggio 50 times. Some subjects played all 50 arpeggios on a violin with the standard string arrangement (the control violin). Another set of subjects played the middle 30 arpeggios with a “similar” violin with …

Reliability Of Popliteal Artery Flow-Mediated Dilation In The Seated Position, Taskina Akhter

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is a noninvasive measurement of endothelial function, which is a useful prognostic tool for cardiovascular disease risk. Despite its widespread use since 1992, the reproducibility of FMD varies widely between studies. This variability in reproducibility is especially significant in the case of the popliteal artery due to different methodological approaches. Studies perform popliteal FMD in various body positions, with the prone and seated positions most common. However, no studies have examined the reproducibility of both the seated and prone positions of the popliteal artery FMD. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the test-retest and …

Maneuverability Of Cuttlefish And Squid: An Integrated Kinematic And Hydrodynamic Analysis, Alissa Marie Ganley

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Turning is important for life underwater, playing roles in predator avoidance, prey capture, locomotion, and communication. While turning abilities have been explored in many taxa, little is known about maneuverability of cephalopods, such as cuttlefishes and squids. The objectives of this dissertation include: (1) quantifying the turning abilities of cuttlefish hatchlings and determining whether there are species-specific differences; (2) examining the turning capabilities of adult cuttlefishes, with the goal of comparing adult performance with that of conspecific hatchlings; and (3) quantifying how adult neritic squids perform turns to provide a broader context of maneuvering strategies in cephalopods. To investigate turning, …

The Volleyball Attack: Training, Kinematics, And The Role Of The Torso, Kiara Baeleah Barrett

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Volleyball is an explosive, dynamic sport popular around the globe. The volleyball attack is the predominant point-scoring avenue and the point of interest for many coaches and players. As this motion is repeated many times throughout the course of a match, it is linked to overuse injuries at the shoulder. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate methodological approaches for research in this movement as well as establishing mechanisms for improving performance and the health of the volleyball players’ shoulder.

For the first study, a systematic review of published literature was performed to ascertain training protocols beneficial to volleyball …

Lower Body Gait Variability As A Distinguishing Feature In Humans, Tyler M. Wiles, Seung Kyeom Kim, Nick Stergiou, Aaron D. Likens

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Most humans have a fingerprint that is unique and persists throughout life. The same may be true for gait. Each person is unique physiologically and biomechanically, and has experienced a unique progression of life including injuries, habits, hobbies, or lifestyles that all contribute to navigating the world. Those individualized experiences, whether intended or not, are potentially on display in gait. We hypothesized that there are gait characteristics intrinsic and unique to everyone, so that everyone has a unique “gaitprint”, similar to humans possessing unique fingerprints. To test our hypothesis, we recruited thirty healthy young adults between the ages 19-35 as …

Postural Perturbations Change The Adaptive Response To Control, Brian Schlattmann

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Dexterity involves cohesive and functional coordination that extends throughout the body. Successful task completion while standing hinges on synchronizing various anatomical components, ensuring postural stability across the 2D support surface. Canonical approaches account for postural sway only along the anatomical anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) axes....

Functional Outcomes Of Noninvasive Sensory Feedback In Upper Limb Prostheses: A Meta-Analysis, Libby Caldwell

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Noninvasive sensory feedback applies vibration or pressure to the residual limb and is thought to improve the functionality of upper limb prostheses. However, the efficacy of this approach has not been sufficiently investigated, particularly regarding actual amputee efficacy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional benefits of noninvasive sensory feedback in upper limb prostheses through a meta-analysis. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, and PubMed) were searched up to October 2022 using the following search terms: (prosthesis OR prosthetic) AND (hand OR arm OR forearm OR transradial OR “upper limb” OR “upper extremity) AND (tactile OR haptic …

Walking With A Load On Wheels: Potential Effects Of Bidirectional Springs On Walking Economy, Hiva Razavi, Philippe Malcolm

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Walking with a Load on Wheels: Potential Effects of Bidirectional Springs on Walking Economy

Have you ever noticed how your arms alternatively flex and extend when pushing a heavy shopping cart? Accelerating and decelerating heavy masses, such as a shopping cart, can require much effort. During walking, we alternatively accelerate and decelerate our Center of Mass (COM) in every gait cycle, which can require even more effort if we accelerate and decelerate a load while walking. Theoretically, this effort can be reduced by timing the acceleration and deceleration of the load's mass opposite to the individual's COM. Previous studies have …

Negative Impact Of Aging On Gait Autocorrelation: A Mixed-Effects Analysis Of Stride Interval Dynamics, Theodore Deligiannis, Tyler M. Wiles, Seung Kyeom Kim, Nikolaos Stergiou, Aaron Likens

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF AGING ON GAIT AUTOCORRELATION: A MIXED-EFFECTS ANALYSIS OF STRIDE INTERVAL DYNAMICS

Theodore A. Deligiannis^1*, Tyler M. Wiles¹, Seung Kyeom Kim¹, Nick Stergiou^1,2, Aaron D. Likens¹

¹Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha

*Corresponding author’s email: [email protected]

Presentation preference: Podium

Traditional gait metrics, like speed, cadence, coordination, as well as non-linear measures, appear related to Timed Up and Go (TUG). Timed Up and Go is a clinical measurement related to physical, socioeconomic, and psychological parameters, as well as overall health. TUG can be used as a health …

Inter-Joint Variability And Age-Related Changes In Human Walking, Mehrnoush Haghighatnejad, Tyler Wiles, Seung Kyeom Kim, Aaron Likens, Nicholas Stergiou

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Inter-Joint Variability and Age-Related Changes in Human Walking

Mehrnoush Haghighatnejad¹*, Tyler M. Wiles¹, Seung Kyeom Kim¹, Nick Stergiou^1,2, Aaron D. Likens¹

¹Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha

²Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece

*Corresponding author’s email: [email protected]

Presentation Preference: Poster

Humans routinely perform a variety of activities such as walking, running, driving, and typing, all of which require coordination among different body joints. For instance, walking and running involve rhythmic movements of the arms and legs. The involvement of the upper …

Determining The Barriers To The Use Of Post-Match Fatigue Monitoring In The Rugby Codes: A Concept Mapping Study., Mitch Naughton, Tannath Scott, Dan Weaving, Scott Mclean, Colin Solomon

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 5: Issue 1, Article 3, 2024. The rugby codes (i.e., rugby union, rugby league, rugby sevens [termed ‘rugby’]) are team-sports that impose complex physical demands upon players which in-turn, leads to domain-specific fatigue (e.g., neuromuscular, cardio-autonomic). Quantifying post-match fatigue through various methods and metrics is important to monitor player fatigue status, which influences training readiness. The specific and general barriers limiting the use of post-match fatigue monitoring in rugby are not presently known. Therefore, the aims of this study were to identify specific and general barriers (clusters of specific barriers) to the use …

Thrust Production And Chordal Flexion Of The Flukes Of Bottlenose Dolphins Performing Tail Stands At Different Efforts, David Kramer, Maura J. Sheehan, Frank E. Fish

Biology Faculty Publications

Dolphins have become famous for their ability to perform a wide variety of athletic and acrobatic behaviors including high-speed swimming, maneuverability, porpoising and tail stands. Tail stands are a behavior where part of the body is held vertically above the water's surface, achieved through thrust produced by horizontal tail fluke oscillations. Strong, efficient propulsors are needed to generate the force required to support the dolphin's body weight, exhibiting chordwise and spanwise flexibility throughout the stroke cycle. To determine how thrust production, fluke flexibility and tail stroke kinematics vary with effort, six adult bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were tested at three …

Integrating Cannabis Education Into The Athletic Training Curriculum, Jeff G. Konin, Jimmy Onate

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

Context. Cannabis has become more prevalent in society and requires greater knowledge on the part of the athletic trainer. Objective. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for recognizing how cannabis education can be integrated into the athletic training curriculum utilizing the existing accreditation standards. Background. For decades the use of cannabis has been illegal. Athletes who were caught with cannabis in their system were penalized by their respective e sport organization body. During the past decade in the United States the federal government has moved toward decriminalization and expungement for those found with and …

Breaking Barriers And Building Confidence: Interprofessional Education's Impact On Allied Health Students' Competence And Self-Efficacy In Addressing Exercise Accessibility For People With Disabilities, Elizabeth A. Starns, Rebecca Wehler, Lindsay A. Church, Stephanie Kubiak

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

Purpose: The researchers’ objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of an interprofessional educational (IPE) program on student learning while addressing exercise accessibility barriers experienced by people living with disabilities (PLWD), including allied health professionals’ lack of practical experience, knowledge, and perceived competence and comfort working with PLWD in a fitness setting. Method: A qualitative explanatory single case study approach utilizing individual interviews was used. The individual interviews that explored how a collaboration between allied health students influenced learning, perceived comfort, and perceived competence working with PLWD were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Results: Four major themes emerged: collaboration, comfort, …

Isokinetic Versus Isotonic Resistance Training: Defining The Mechanisms Of Hypertrophy And Exercise Execution Methods, George Daughtry

Doctorate in Kinesiology

Abstract

Purpose: To determine strength changes and hypertrophy differences at the biceps brachii between an isokinetic bicep curl machine created by C&M Machines and preacher curl exercise with a standard curl bar. The study also aimed to determine the effectiveness of the aforementioned machine and to give insight into this unique method of training.

Methods: A medical clearance form and a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire was implemented to evaluate ability to exercise. 10 subjects (n=10) were recruited, were 20.3 years old (20 +/- 2), and were cleared for rigorous exercise. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group …