Biomechanics Commons^™

Optimizing Beat Synchronized Running To Music, Jeska Buhmann, Edith Van Dyck, Dobromir Dotov, Marc Leman, Bart Moens

Journal Articles

The use of music and specifically tempo-matched music has been shown to affect running performance. But can we maximize the synchronization of movements to music and does maximum synchronization influence kinematics and motivation? In this study, we explore the effect of different types of music-to-movement alignment strategies on phase coherence, cadence and motivation. These strategies were compared to a control condition where the music tempo was deliberately not aligned to the running cadence. Results show that without relative phase alignment, a negative mean asynchrony (NMA) of footfall timings with respect to the beats is obtained. This means that footfalls occurred …

Terrestrial Locomotion Of The Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga Angustirostris): Limitation Of Large Aquatically Adapted Seals On Land?, Kelsey A. Tennett, Daniel P. Costa, Anthony J. Nicastro, Frank E. Fish

Biology Student Work

The aquatic specializations of phocid seals have restricted their ability to locomote on land. The amphibious northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris, is the second largest phocid seal in the world, with males reaching 2700 kg. Although elephant seals are proficient swimmers and deep divers, their extreme size and aquatic specializations limit terrestrial movement. The kinematics of terrestrial locomotion in northern elephant seals were analyzed from video recordings of animals observed on the beach of Añ o Nuevo State Reserve, CA, USA. The seals moved using a series of rhythmic undulations produced by dorsoventral spinal flexion. The traveling spinal wave moved …

Developing Motion Platform Dynamics For Studying Biomechanical Responses During Exercise For Human Spaceflight Applications, Kaitlin Lostroscio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In future human spaceflight missions, with prolonged exposure to microgravity, resistive and aerobic exercises will be countermeasures for bone loss, muscle loss, and decreased aerobic capacity. Two of the exercises of interest are squats and rowing. The cyclic forces produced during these exercises are at relatively low frequencies which are likely to excite structural resonances of space vehicles. Vibration Isolation Systems (VIS) are being designed to be paired with future exploration exercise devices in order to prevent these cyclic exercise forces from impacting the space vehicle. The VIS may be configured such that a platform supports the human and exercise …

The Effect Of Postural Alterations On Metabolic Cost In Running On Incline Slopes, Nikaela K. Hemminger

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In spite of an intuitive relationship between running technique and performance, the influence of specific techniques on metabolic cost remains unclear. While recent studies suggest that postural lean affects metabolic cost during level ground running, little information exists regarding the influence of postural lean on the metabolic cost of running on an incline slope. Purpose: This study sought to investigate the effect of postural lean on metabolic cost, kinematics, and muscle activation of running across a range of incline slopes. Methods: Sixteen healthy adult runners (21±2 years, 8M/8F) of different competitive standards participated in twelve running trials on a motorized …

Muscle Activation Analysis With Kinematic Comparison Between Wind-Up And Stretch Pitching With Respect To The Upper And Lower Extremities, Megan M. Smidebush

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Introduction: Baseball pitching is considered one of the most intense aspects within the game of baseball, as well as the most complicated dynamic throwing task in all of sports. The biomechanics of pitching have been heavily investigated in an attempt to identify optimal pitching mechanics in terms of pitching performance. Previous quantified upper body kinetics research has concluded that improved muscle strength is needed in attempting to achieve adequate upper body kinetics and efficient pitching performances. Therefore, it is the purpose of this research study to compare the lower extremity muscle and upper extremity muscle activation patterns and kinematic variables …

Analysis Of Human Movement Patterns During Endurance Running, Joshua Paul Bailey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Endurance running and participation in racing events has flourished over the last decade. Recreational runners enter the training period for an upcoming race at differing levels of fitness and training. As individuals sign-up for the race, they typically follow the commitment with an increase in training load. The increases in training load are accomplished through a combination of increasing mileage, or duration of running, and running intensity through increase velocity. These increases are theoretically being applied in a progressive overload principle, where the musculoskeletal system has time to adapt to the breakdown provided from the previous training session. Progressive overload …

The Influence Of Crossfit Training On Running Mechanics, Sophia D. Bradley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction

40 million Americans run regularly.1 Contrary to many runner’s beliefs, increased strength may be beneficial while not adding body mass. An increase in strength in specific muscles may improve running gait and performance. 9,6 Strength training may also play an important role in preventing common overuse injuries in running 11,12 Depending on the style of strength training, it may also have an enhanced benefit on running economy.4,16

Participation in CrossFit is also widely popular, with an increase in participation of 923% in the past ten years.2 CrossFit is a type of strength training in which most movements performed utilize …

The Development Of A Platform Interface With The Use Of Virtual Reality To Enhance Upper-Extremity Prosthetic Training And Rehabilitation, Ashley D. Knight

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the investigation and development of an effective prosthetic training and rehabilitation platform with the use of virtual reality to facilitate an effective process to return amputees to the highest level of independence and functioning possible.

It has been reported that approximately 10 million people live with a limb loss worldwide, with around 30% being an upper-extremity amputee. The sudden loss of a hand or arm causes the loss of fine, coordinated movements, reduced joint range of motion (ROM), proprioceptive feedback and aesthetic appearance, all which can be improved with the use of a prosthesis and proper …

Turning Performance Of Brief Squid Lolliguncula Brevis During Attacks On Shrimp And Fish, Rachel A. Jastrebsky, Ian K. Bartol, Paul S. Krueger

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Although squid are generally considered to be effective predators, little is currently known of how squid maneuver and position themselves during prey strikes. In this study, high-speed video and kinematic analyses were used to study attacks by the brief squid Lolliguncula brevis on both shrimp and fish. Squid attack successwas high (>80%) and three behavioral phases were identified: (1) approach, (2) strike and (3) recoil. Lolliguncula brevis demonstrated greater maneuverability (i.e. a smaller length-specific turning radius) and employed more body adjustments (i.e. mantle angle posturing) during approaches toward shrimp versus fish. Squid exhibited higher linear approach/strike velocities and accelerations …

Continuous Sweep Versus Discrete Step Protocols For Studying Effects Of Wearable Robot Assistance Magnitude, Philippe Malcolm, Denise Martineli Rossi, Christopher Siviy, Sangjun Lee, Brendan Thomas Quinlivan, Martin Grimmer, Conor J. Walsh

Journal Articles

Background: Different groups developed wearable robots for walking assistance, but there is still a need for methods to quickly tune actuation parameters for each robot and population or sometimes even for individual users. Protocols where parameters are held constant for multiple minutes have traditionally been used for evaluating responses to parameter changes such as metabolic rate or walking symmetry. However, these discrete protocols are time-consuming. Recently, protocols have been proposed where a parameter is changed in a continuous way. The aim of the present study was to compare effects of continuously varying assistance magnitude with a soft exosuit against …

Chapter 9: Biomechanics, Nicholas Stergiou, Daniel Blanke, Sara A. Myers, Ka-Chun Siu

Journal Articles

Biomechanics is a discipline. A discipline deals with understanding, predicting, and explaining phenomena within a content domain, and biomechanics is the study of the human body in motion. By applying

principles from mechanics and engineering, biomechanists are able to study the forces that act on the body and the effects they produce (Bates, 1991). Hay (1973) describes biomechanics as the science that examines forces acting on and within a biological structure and the effects produced by such forces, whereas Alt (1967) describes biomechanics as the science that investigates the effect of internal and external forces on human and animal bodies …

Hydrodynamic Properties Of Fin Whale Flippers Predict Maximum Rolling Performance, Paolo S. Segre, David E. Cade, Frank E. Fish, Jean Potvin, Ann N. Allen, John Calambokidis, Ari S. Friedlaender, Jeremy A. Goldbogen

Biology Faculty Publications

Maneuverability is one of the most important and least understood aspects of animal locomotion. The hydrofoil-like flippers of cetaceans are thought to function as control surfaces that effect maneuvers, but quantitative tests of this hypothesis have been lacking. Here, we constructed a simple hydrodynamic model to predict the longitudinal-axis roll performance of fin whales, and we tested its predictions against kinematic data recorded by on-board movement sensors from 27 free-swimming fin whales. We found that for a given swimming speed and roll excursion, the roll velocity of fin whales calculated from our field data agrees well with that predicted by …

Hydrodynamic Performance Of Aquatic Flapping: Efficiency Of Underwater Flight In The Manta, Frank E. Fish, Christian M. Schreiber, Keith W. Moored, Geng Liu, Haibo Dong, Hilary Bart-Smith

Biology Faculty Publications

The manta is the largest marine organism to swim by dorsoventral oscillation (flapping) of the pectoral fins. The manta has been considered to swim with a high efficiency stroke, but this assertion has not been previously examined. The oscillatory swimming strokes of the manta were examined by detailing the kinematics of the pectoral fin movements swimming over a range of speeds and by analyzing simulations based on computational fluid dynamic potential flow and viscous models. These analyses showed that the fin movements are asymmetrical up- and downstrokes with both spanwise and chordwise waves interposed into the flapping motions. These motions …

Frontal Plane Comparison Between Drop Jump And Vertical Jump: Implications For The Assessment Of Acl Risk Of Injury, Guilherme Manna Cesar, Curtis L. Tomasevicz, Judith M. Burnfield

Athletic Performance Research

The potential to use the vertical jump (VJ) to assess both athletic performance and risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury could have widespread clinical implications since VJ is broadly used in high school, university, and professional sport settings. Although drop jump (DJ) and VJ observationally exhibit similar lower extremity mechanics, the extent to which VJ can also be used as screening tool for ACL injury risk has not been assessed. This study evaluated whether individuals exhibit similar knee joint frontal plane kinematic and kinetic patterns when performing VJs compared with DJs. Twenty-eight female collegiate athletes performed DJs and VJs. …

A Complete Kinematic, Kinetic, And Electromyographical Analysis Of The Football Throw In Collegiate Quarterbacks, Kyle R. Bohnert

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The biomechanics of the overhead throw has been extensively studied in regards to baseball pitching. However, an understanding of the proper mechanics needed to successfully throw a football has not previously been investigated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography of the football throws in elite quarterbacks. Three collegiate quarterbacks were evaluated using a multi-camera motion capture system and electromyography electrodes. The results of this study are able to give a breakdown in the types of mechanics needed in each of the phases of the throw. This study demonstrated that during the early …

Biomechanical Investigation Of Elite Place-Kicking, Chase M. Pfeifer

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many studies aim to understand the fundamentals of kicking commonly displayed by soccer players [4,6,10,16,17,18,24,25,28,29,30,34,36,38,40]. Of those studies, most are limited to a two-dimensional (2D) analysis using high-speed cameras for position tracking or utilizing electromyography to observe the activity of select muscles [4,6,18,25,29,36]. The few studies that investigate kicking using a three-dimensional (3D) model are limited in their position tracking capabilities and focus mainly on joint flexion potentials and foot speed.

This dissertation is a comprehensive biomechanical analysis (kinematic and EMG) of the field-goal place-kicking techniques of four elite kickers in American football. Data were compared and contrasted with ball …

Kinematics And Hydrodynamics Of Cephalopod Turning Performance In Routine Swimming And Predatory Attacks, Rachel A. Jastrebsky

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Steady rectilinear swimming has received considerable attention in aquatic animal locomotion studies. Unsteady swimming movements, however, represent a large portion of many aquatic animals’ locomotive repertoire and have not been examined extensively. This study incorporates kinematic analyses of routine turning performance of brief squid Lolliguncula brevis and dwarf cuttlefish Sepia bandensis (Chapter 2), 3D velocimetry techniques to examine hydrodynamic turning performance of L. brevis (Chapter 3) and kinematic analyses of turning performance of L. brevis during predatory attacks on shrimp and fish prey (Chapter 4).

Both L. brevis and S. bandensis demonstrated high maneuverability, having the lowest measures of length-specific …

Changes In Sprint Kinetics Or Kinematics Following Static Or Dynamic Stretching, Kristyne Bartel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of static or dynamic stretching on hip kinematics and kinetics during intermittent sprinting. To achieve this aim, intermittent sprint athletes were asked to complete either a static or dynamic stretch, followed by a repeated-sprint protocol. Hip joint kinematics and performance measures were evaluated during the sprint, including changes that occurred in these variables over the course of the sprint protocol. In addition, hip flexion torque was measured with an isokinetic dynamometer. Ten male (age = 25±2.3 years, 175±3.2 cm, 76.2±2.7 kg) and female (age = 20±1 years, 166±1.3 cm, 60±1.1 …

Reliability Of A Multisegment Foot Model In Shod Running, Austin Coupe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine kinematic and marker placement reliability of the Leardini multisegment foot model (LMFM) for tracking foot kinematics during barefoot and shod running without alteration of footwear. Eleven participants, five males (25.6±5 yrs, 73±15.8 kg, 1.75±0.05m) and six females (22.5±2.9 yrs, 66.6±7.2 kg, 1.71±0.05 m) granted institutionally approved written consent to participate. Three-dimensional motion capture (10 Vicon T40-S cameras) was used to capture kinematic data at 200Hz. Kinetic data was captured with an in-ground force platform (Kistler Instruments AG, Switzerland Model 9281B 60x40cm, 2000Hz). Participants were instructed to run at 3.5m/s ±5%. Velocity was …

A Comparative Evaluation Of The Effects Of Incline On Kinematics And Muscle Function During Backward Walking, Daniel Brent Jensen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate lower extremity kinematics and muscle activation patterns in inclined backward walking (IBW) versus traditional backward walking (BW). This purpose was achieved by evaluating performance of individuals walking backward on a treadmill at inclines of 0%, 6%, 8%, 10%, and 12%. Eleven participants (24.9 ± 4.8 yrs, 71.9 ± 11.6 kg, 1.7 ± 0.09m) recruited from the UNLV student body went through a familiarization training program before any data were collected. The familiarization training, which took place across 3 different days, served to: 1) help the participants become comfortable and familiar with BW …

An Evaluation Of Kinematic Variables During Stance Phase Of A Training Endurance Run, Joshua Paul Bailey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the study was to evaluate kinematics of the lower extremity during the stance phase of an endurance training run. Fifteen participants (8 male, 7 female; 30.5 ± 8.4 years; 71.8 ± 11 kg; 1.73 ± 0.07 m) reported that they were currently signed up for, or planned on signing up for, an endurance race within the next six months of participation in the study (9 half marathon, 3 marathon, 1 triathlon, 2 21k trail run). All had a weekly running mileage greater than 20 miles (23.8 ±4.6 miles). Participants were required to complete the 15–kilometer training run …

Biomechanical Comparison Of A Rounded Outsole Shoe And Traditional Outsole Shoe, Sarah Horsch

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of shoe outsole design on maximum vertical acceleration and select kinematic parameters during level and uphill walking across phases of stance. Twelve participants, 7 males (75.1±9.3 kg, 173.6±3.6 cm, 22.9±3.5 yrs) and 5 females (56.5±5.1 kg, 158.3±4.5 cm, 25.4±11.1 yrs) granted written consent and preferred walking speed was determined. An accelerometer (480 Hz) was attached to the distal leg to measure maximum leg acceleration (Aleg) and an electrogoniometer (480 Hz) was placed on the back to measure sagittal lumbar motion (LumbarROM). Sagittal video capture (60 Hz) included thigh range of …

Temporal Structure Of Variability Decreases In Upper Extremity Movements Post Stroke, Amit Sethi, Tara Patterson, Theresa Mcguirk, Carolynn Patten, Lorie G. Richards, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Methods: Sixteen participants with chronic stroke and nine age-matched controls performed three trials of functional reach-to-grasp. The amount of variability was quantified by computing the standard deviation of shoulder, elbow, wrist and index finger flexion/extension joint angles. The temporal structure of variability was determined by calculating approximate entropy in shoulder, elbow, wrist and index finger flexion/extension joint angles.

Findings: Individuals with stroke demonstrated greater standard deviations and significantly reduced approximate entropy values as compared to controls. Furthermore, motor impairments and kinematics demonstrated moderate to strong correlations with temporal structure of variability.

Interpretation: Changes in the temporal structure of variability in …

The Effect Of A Short Duration, High Intensity Exercise Intervention On Gait Biomechanics In Patients With Copd: Findings From A Pilot Study, Jenna M. Yentes, Daniel Blanke, Stephen I. Rennard, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Previous work has shown that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) demonstrate changes in their gait biomechanics as compared to controls. This pilot study was designed to explore the possibility that biomechanical alterations present in COPD patients might be amenable to treatment by exercise training of skeletal muscle. This study investigated the effect of a 6-week exercise intervention on gait biomechanics in patients with COPD under both a rest and a non-rested condition. Seven patients with COPD underwent a supervised cardio-respiratory and strength training protocol 2-3 times per week for 6-weeks for a total of 16-sessions. Spatiotemporal, kinematic and …

The Effects Of A Semi-Rigid Ankle Brace On A Simulated Isolated Subtalar Joint Instability, Julie Choisne, Matthew C. Hoch, Sebastian Bawab, Ian Alexander, Stacie I. Ringleb

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Subtalar joint instability is hypothesized to occur after injuries to the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) in isolation or in combination with the cervical and the talocalcaneal interosseous ligaments. A common treatment for hindfoot instability is the application of an ankle brace. However, the ability of an ankle brace to promote subtalar joint stability is not well established. We assessed the kinematics of the subtalar joint, ankle, and hindfoot in the presence of isolated subtalar instability, investigated the effect of bracing in a CFL deficient foot and with a total rupture of the intrinsic ligaments, and evaluated how maximum inversion range of …

Wearing A Safety Harness During Treadmill Walking Influences Lower Extremity Kinematics Mainly Through Changes In Ankle Regularity And Local Stability, Leslie M. Decker, Fabien Cignetti, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background: Wearing a harness during treadmill walking ensures the subject’s safety and is common practice in biomedical engineering research. However, the extent to which such practice influences gait is unknown. This study investigated harness-related changes in gait patterns, as evaluated from lower extremity kinematics during treadmill walking.

Findings: Healthy subjects (n = 10) walked on a treadmill at their preferred speed for 3 minutes with and without wearing a harness (LiteGait®, Mobility Research, Inc.). In the former condition, no weight support was provided to the subjects. Lower extremity kinematics was assessed in the sagittal plane from the mean (meanRoM), standard …

The Effect Of Maturation On Hip And Knee Kinetics And Kinematics During An Unanticipated Sidestep Cutting Task In Male Youth Lacrosse Players, Crystal M. Sullivan

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injuries has been studied extensively and has been reported as one of the highest injuries amongst high school and collegiate athletes. Little research has been focused on maturational changes in relation to the risk factors of such an injury. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference between pre-pubescent (PRE), pubescent (MID) and postpubescent (POST) male lacrosse athletes indicated by knee and hip kinetics and kinematics during an unanticipated sidestep cutting task (SS). Thirty-one male participants between the ages of nine and fourteen were recruited and …

Effects Of Lateral Ligament Sectioning On The Stability Of The Ankle And Subtalar Joint, Stacie I. Ringleb, Ajaya Dhakal, Claude D. Anderson, Sebastian Bawab, Rajesh Paranjape

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Patients with subtalar joint instability are often diagnosed with ankle instability. Only after a prolonged period of time in which a patient does not improve after treatment for ankle instability is subtalar joint instability considered. To develop a clinically relevant method to diagnose subtalar joint instability, the kinematics of the simulated unstable subtalar joint were examined. A 6 degree-of-freedom positioning and loading device was developed. Plantarflexion/dorsiflexion, inversion/eversion, and internal/external rotation were applied individually or as coupled motions along with an anterior/posterior drawer. Kinematic data were collected from sensors attached to the calcaneus, talus, and tibia by keeping all the ligaments …

The Effect Of Music On Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgical Performance, Ka-Chun Siu, I. H. Suh, Mukul Mukherjee, D. Oleynikov, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Music is often played in the operating room to increase the surgeon’s concentration and to mask noise. It could have a beneficial effect on surgical performance. Ten participants with limited experience with the da Vinci robotic surgical system were recruited to perform two surgical tasks: suture tying and mesh alignment when classical, jazz, hip-hop, and Jamaican music were presented. Kinematics of the instrument tips of the surgical robot and surface electromyography of the subjects were recorded. Results revealed that a significant music effect was found for both tasks with decreased time to task completion (P = .005) and total …

An Inverse Kinematic Mathematical Model Using Groebner Basis Theory For Arm Swing Movement In The Gait Cycle, Kimberly D. Kendricks, Adam M. Fullenkamp, Robert Mcgrellis, Jonathan Juhl, Ronald F. Tuttle

Faculty Publications

Two important indicators in the gait cycle: arm swing and foot placement, when isolated, provide key information about future behaviors in the gait cycle. Through video captured data, the INSPIRE (Integration of a Sensor Package for Identifying Radical Extremists) project seeks to identify gait characteristics in arm and leg swing movement to recognize threatening individuals. In particular, one approach discussed in this paper uses Groebner Basis Theory to model arm swing movement in the gait cycle. Through inverse kinematics, joint configurations of the shoulder and elbow are found to place the wrist at a specific position and orientation in the …