Biomechanics Commons^™

Electromyography Study Of Muscle Fatigue During Isometric Exercises In Swimmers And Non-Swimmers, Tiffany Aeling

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The use of electromyography (EMG) techniques offer strong evaluation of musculature fatigue during activity in different exercises. Studies show that EMG can be used to monitor fatigue patterns in muscles composing the upper extremities and thoracic areas of the human body by analyzing median frequency values. Advances in muscle fatigue research have been critical for improving rehabilitation programs for patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Despite these developments, many collegiate athletes are still at high risk for muscle injury on and off the playing field. Therefore, in order to help reduce injury numbers, it is important that current research focus on the …

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. …

Weight Control Practices Of Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes, Patrick B. Wilson, Leilani Madrigal, Judith M. Burnfield

Athletic Performance Research

Objectives: Altering body weight can have substantial effects on an athlete’s performance and well-being. Limited information is available describing the weight control practices of Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes.

Methods: Weight control practices data from 188 (138 male and 50 female; 18-23 y) Division I NCAA athletes were analyzed as a part of this cross-sectional, retrospective study. Participants completed questionnaires on weight control practices and weight control nutrition knowledge at the end of their season and were classified into weight-sensitive and less weight-sensitive sports.

Results: A higher proportion of females attempted to lose weight than males among …

Il-15 Mediates Mitochondrial Activity Through A Ppar𝛿-Dependent-Ppar𝛼-Independent Mechanism In Skeletal Muscle Cells, Shantaé M. Thornton, James E. Krolopp, Marcia J. Abbott

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Molecular mediators of metabolic processes, to increase energy expenditure, have become a focus for therapies of obesity. The discovery of cytokines secreted from the skeletal muscle (SKM), termed “myokines,” has garnered attention due to their positive effects on metabolic processes. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a myokine that has numerous positive metabolic effects and is linked to the PPAR family of mitochondrial regulators. Here, we aimed to determine the importance of PPAR𝛼 and/or PPAR𝛿 as targets of IL-15 signaling. C2C12 SKM cells were differentiated for 6 days and treated every other day with IL-15 (100 ng/mL), a PPAR𝛼 inhibitor (GW-6471), a PPAR𝛿 …

Validation Of An Error Sonification Auditory Feedback Training Program On Proper Sagittal Plane Squat Technique, Rena Hale

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common degenerative joint diseases that hinders an individual's quality of life. A large portion of knee OA instances can be correlated to previous anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Knee joint injury leading to OA is most prevalent in males aged 20-55 years old and can be caused by improper form during execution of a given task or lack of neuromuscular control. Screening protocols are used to assess deficits of an athlete, with the goal of reducing the risk of injury during both training and in competition. Neuromuscular training programs have been created to …

The Effect Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness On The Assessment Of The Physical Working Capacity At The Fatigue Threshold, Brittney M. Mikkelsen, Jorge Zuniga, William K. Herron, Frances E. Frauso, Anne N. Pulliam

Journal Articles

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if different cardiorespiratory fitness levels (maximal oxygen uptake or VO2max) affect neuromuscular fatigue as measured by the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWCFT). Methods: Fourteen adults (14 men; mean ± SD; age = 20.79 ± 0.89 years; body weight = 80.7 ± 10.91 kg; height = 178.4 ± 5.29 cm) volunteered to participate in the investigation. Each participant performed an incremental cycle ergometry test to fatigue while electromyographic (EMG) signals were measured from the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle. Mean, standard deviation, and range values were calculated for …

Freezing Of Gait Associated With A Corpus Callosum Lesion, Marian L. Dale, Martina Mancini, Carolin Curtze, Fay B. Horak, Brett W. Fling

Journal Articles

Freezing of gait (FoG) is a debilitating feature of Parkinson’s disease and other parkinsonian disorders. This case demonstrates a variant of freezing of gait in a non-parkinsonian patient with a lesion of the anterior corpus callosum. The freezing improved with increased upper extremity sensory input, suggesting that compensatory circuits for use of somatosensory inputs from the arms to postural and locomotor centers were intact.

Gait Kinematics And Kinetics Are Affected More By Peripheral Arterial Disease Than By Age, Sara A. Myers, Bryon Applequist, Jessie M. Huisinga, Iraklis Pipinos, Jason M. Johanning

Journal Articles

—Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) produces abnormal gait and disproportionately affects older individuals. The current study investigated PAD gait biomechanics in younger (<65 yr) and older (>/=65 yr) subjects. The study included 61 patients with PAD (31 younger, age: 57.4 +/– 5.3 yr, and 30 older, age: 71.9 +/– 5.2 yr) and 52 nondisabled age-matched control subjects. Patients with PAD were tested during pain-free walking and compared with control subjects. Joint kinematics and kinetics (torques) were compared using a 2 x 2 analysis of variance (groups: patients with PAD vs control subjects, age: younger vs older). Patients with PAD had significantly increased ankle and …

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 …

Central And Peripheral Weight Gain Affect Trunk Kinematics And Lower-Extremity Muscle Activation Differently During Sit-To-Stand, Michelle Christine Walaszek

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Background: Obesity-induced alterations in biomechanics and muscle recruitment during activities of daily living, such as sit-to-stand (STS) are often attributed to increases in adipose tissue (AT) mass. Central or peripheral distribution of AT may differently affect biomechanics and muscle recruitment.

Methods: Fifteen healthy, normal weight (BMI 22.4 ± 1.9 kg/m², 24.1 ± 4.2 years) subjects volunteered. External loads equivalent to a 5 kg/m² BMI increase were applied in three conditions: unloaded (UN), centrally loaded (CL), and peripherally loaded (PL). Subjects completed three successful STS movements in a backless chair under each load condition in random order. Motion …

A Biomechanical Comparison Between Expert And Novice Manual Materials Handlers Using A Multi-Joint Emg-Assisted Optimization Musculoskeletal Model Of The Lumbar Spine, Denis Gagnon, André Plamondon, Christian Larivière

Études primaires

Expertise is a key factor modulating the risk of low back disorders (LBD). Through years of practice in the workplace, the typical expert acquires high level specific skills and maintains a clean record of work-related injuries. Ergonomic observations of manual materials handling (MMH) tasks show that expert techniques differ from those of novices, leading to the idea that expert techniques are safer. Biomechanical studies of MMH tasks performed by experts/novices report mixed results for kinematic/kinetic variables, evoking potential internal effect of expertise. In the context of series of box transfers simulated by actual workers, detailed internal loads predicted by a …

Subject-Specific Biomechanics Of Trunk: Musculoskeletal Scaling, Internal Loads And Intradiscal Pressure Estimation, F. Ghezelbash, A. Shirazi-Adl, N. Arjmand, Z. El-Ouaaid, A. Plamondon

Études primaires

Development of a subject-specific computational musculoskeletal trunk model (accounting for age, sex, body weight and body height), estimation of muscle forces and internal loads as well as subsequent validation by comparison with measured intradiscal pressure in various lifting tasks are novel, important and challenging. The objective of the present study is twofold. First, it aims to update and personalize the passive and active structures in an existing musculoskeletal kinematics-driven finite element model. The scaling scheme used an existing imaging database and biomechanical principles to adjust muscle geometries/cross-sectional-areas and passive joint geometry/properties in accordance with subjects’ sex, age, body weight and …

Examining The Reliability, Validity And Factor Structure Of The Drs-15 With College Athletes, Leilani Madrigal, Diane L. Gill, Kent M. Eskridge

Athletic Performance Research

Hardiness, comprising feelings of commitment, control and challenge, is most frequently measured with the Dispositional Resiliency Scale (DRS), but little work has been done with the brief 15-item version. To examine the factor structure, reliability, validity, and item functioning for gender invariance of the 15-item DRS with 525 collegiate athletes from a wide range of sports. Convergent and divergent validity were examined through relationships with mental toughness, grit and competitive anxiety. Participants completed measures of mental toughness, optimism, grit, competitive anxiety, and the DRS-15. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed a poor fit for the three-factor hardiness model, and subsequent exploratory factor …

Effects Of Controlled-Whole Body Vibration Training On Reducing Risk Of Falls In People With Multiple Sclerosis, Maria Cristal Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Falls present a serious challenge among people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). Controlled whole-body vibration (CWBV) training has been recently introduced into the physical therapy field to prevent falls in older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an 8-week vibration-training program in reducing the risk of falls in people living with MS. The study adopted a single-group pre-test â?? post-test longitudinal design. Twenty-five adults with clinicallyâ??confirmed MS were enrolled in this study to undergo the 8-week intervention on a side-alternating vibration machine. The training was delivered three times a week for eight weeks a …

Treadmill-Based Perturbation Training For Preventing Falls Among Young Adults, Patrick Anthony Cereceres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Falls present a serious challenge not only among older adults, but for young adults, especially those whose working conditions exposes them to a high fall hazard. Treadmill-based perturbation training, as a task-specific training modality, has emerged as a new paradigm used to prevent falls. However, the training program in previous studies contained up to 30 perturbation trials. It is unclear if a reduced number of perturbation trials could still induce positive effect in preventing falls. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a treadmill-based perturbation training paradigm consisting of 8 slip perturbations on reducing slip-related falls …

Development And Initial Testing Of A Low-Cost, Electronic, Microprocessor-Controlled Prosthetic Knee, Lucas Jonathan Galey

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cost-effective lower-limb prostheses have been successful in restoring mobility, independence, and a way of life to millions of global amputees who do not have the means to afford more sophisticated prosthetics. Comprehensively, the current above knee (AK) prosthetic market is segmented into two extremes â?? very affordable relief style knees that offer basic functionality with high risk of accident due to falls, and very expensive styles that offer electronic microprocessor stumble control and adaptive cadence. There remains a gap for a middle-ground system that provides stumble control and greater stability within an achievable price bracket for the developing world. This …

Spine Lifting Biomechanics Between Varying Occupational Activity Levels And Recreational Physical Activity Levels, Caitlin Rose Francis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Moderate to vigorous physical activity as the optimum movement patterns for health have continued to be the dominant focus of health and fitness research. Yet, emerging evidence of deleterious, adverse health effects of prolonged inactivity, independent of regular physical activity, presents a new element to establishing the ideal model of movement patterns for health. The musculoskeletal trunk of the body becomes unbalanced as a result of prolonged inactivity, and a biomechanical analysis can help to identify high-risk loading behavior associated with these unbalances. Moreover, poor spine biomechanics can indicate a need for adjustment to present recommendations for optimum movement …

Quantifying Muscle Fatigue Of The Low Back During Repetitive Load Lifting Using Lyapunov Analysis, Elias Spyropoulos, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Nicholas Stergiou, George Athanassiou

Journal Articles

Background: Occupational low back disorders are often associated with exposure to work-related physical risk factors such as muscle fatigue in the low back.
Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between the divergence of the kinematic trajectories of the low back system and the different stages of fatigue during the execution of a repetitive lifting task.
Methods: The patterns of the low back system were recorded using markers on specific vertebras during the repetitive load lifting from the floor to a 0.75 m height table. The maximum Lyapunov exponent, λmax of the recorded patterns was …

Development Of An Elderly Female Torso Finite Element Model For Restraint System Research And Development Applications, Anil Kalra Kalra

Wayne State University Dissertations

Elderly females are found to be one of the most vulnerable segments of population during motor vehicle crashes and their population is increasing in the coming decades. Current design of restraint systems as well as other passive safety measures are designed based on anthropomorphic details of younger population. Developing another dummy representing elderly female population is a costly effort, while a finite element (FE) model of elderly female with similar anthropomorphic details and age- and gender-specific material properties can be a better alternative solution. The current research focuses on the development of a FE model of an elderly female torso, …

Effects Of Sex, Age, Body Height And Body Weight On Spinal Loads: Sensitivity Analyses In A Subject-Specific Trunk Musculoskeletal Model, F. Ghezelbash, A. Shirazi-Adl, N. Arjmand, Z. El-Ouaaid, A. Plamondon, J. R. Meakin

Études primaires

Subject-specific parameters influence spinal loads and the risk of back disorders but their relative effects are not well understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of changes in age (35–60 years), sex (male, female), body height (BH: 150–190 cm) and body weight (BW: 50–120 kg) on spinal loads in a full-factorial simulation using a personalized (spine kinematics, geometry, musculature and passive properties) kinematics driven musculoskeletal trunk finite element model. Segmental weight distribution (magnitude and location along the trunk) was estimated by a novel technique to accurately represent obesity. Five symmetric sagittal loading conditions were considered, and …

The Effects Of A Low Back Pain Vibration Modality On Trunk Postural Control, Adam R. Cornwall

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is prevalent worldwide and is affecting even more individuals as the population ages. There has recently been an increase in production of low back pain (LBP) vibration modality belts that apply localized vibration to the lumbar region of the spine as it has shown to reduce pain. However, vibration is also known to perturb muscle spindles and thus interfere with proprioception. If a LBP vibration modality causes a proprioceptive deficit in the trunk lumbar region it could potentially increase an individual’s risk of injury due to poor postural control. Therefore, the effects of a …

The Influence Of Hip Mobility And Fatigue On Spinal Flexion And Muscle Activation In Rugby Scrum Performance, Joshua D. Clayton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Introduction: Rugby scrumming is a means of restarting play following a minor rule infringement that can occur up to 28 times per game. The scrum poses a significant injury risk, with more days missed due to injury per event than any other rugby activity. Rugby players also have a significantly higher rate of spine injury than the general population, perhaps due to flexion in combination with high compression forces, which has been cited as the main mechanism of injury. Flexion of the spine has also been associated with poor hip mobility and quadriceps fatigue in other athletic tasks and may …

An Exploratory Approach To Manipulating Dynamic Stability: Investigating The Role Of Visual Control During A Precision Foot Placement Task, Russell Cg Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

Background: The visual system provides the body with an accurate sensory system; designed to gather information at a distance and acts as a feedforward control mechanism during human locomotion. By doing so, visual information contributes coordination of the head-arm-trunk (HAT) segment and modulating foot placement. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a constrained pathway during a complex navigational stone-stepping task on HAT segment control and how the visual system guides locomotion during a complex foot placement task.

Methods: Nine university-aged females (Mean age: 22.5 years old +/-1.75) participated in this study. Participants …

The Effects Of Manipulated Somatosensory Input On Simulated Falls During Walking, Sarah Mitchell-Ewart

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Previous research has demonstrated that there is a distinct relationship between aging and instability. The somatosensory system plays a significant role in balance control in conjunction with vision and the vestibular system (Qiu et al., 2012). Evidence has shown that manipulation of the mechanoreceptors on the plantar surface of the foot has a direct effect on balance control. By manipulating these receptors with hypothermic anesthesia and vibration, researchers are capable of simulating the effect of sensory modification on healthy individuals, in order to understand the role that plantar-surface sensation has in adapting to perturbation during gait (Perry et al., 2001; …

The Feedforward And Feedback Controls On Gait In Adults With Diabetes, Chun-Kai Huang

Theses & Dissertations

There are nearly 26 million people with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the US, and half of chronic DMs develop somatosensory deficits due to diabetic polyneuropathy or diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). The absence or impaired somatosensory feedback (e.g. touch sensation or joint proprioception) resulted from the damage of large nerve fiber, and motor deficits such as attenuated muscle strength and abnormal plantar pressure of lower extremity have been identified in DPN, and these sensorimotor impairments lead to an increased number of falls. To reduce the risk of falling, a well-coordinated and adapted limb movement driven by the feedforward (anticipatory) and feedback …

Increased Minimum Toe Clearance Variability In Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease, Troy Rand, Shane R. Wurdeman, Jason M. Johanning, Iraklis Pipinos, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

Individuals with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) report difficulty walking and experience 73% more falls than their healthy counterparts, but no studies have investigated functional mechanisms contributing to increased falls. Minimum toe clearance (MTC) is the minimum vertical distance between the toe of the swinging leg and the walking surface when the leg is swinging, and decreased values are associated with an increased risk for falls. This study is the first such analysis in patients with PAD. Eighteen individuals with PAD and eighteen healthy controls walked on a treadmill before and after the onset of claudication pain. Mean MTC and the …

Glucose-Fructose Likely Improves Gastrointestinal Comfort And Endurance Running Performance Relative To Glucose-Only, P. B. Wilson, S. J, Ingraham

Athletic Performance Research

This study aimed to determine whether glucose-fructose (GF) ingestion, relative to glucose-only, would alter performance, metabolism, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and psychological affect during prolonged running. On two occasions, 20 runners (14 men) completed a 120-min submaximal run followed by a 4-mile time trial (TT). Participants consumed glucose-only (G) or GF (1.2:1 ratio) beverages, which supplied ~1.3 g/min of carbohydrate. Substrate use, blood lactate, psychological affect [Feeling Scale (FS)], and GI distress were measured. Differences between conditions were assessed using magnitude-based inferential statistics. Participants completed the TT 1.9% (−1.9; −4.2, 0.4) faster with GF, representing a likely benefit. FS ratings were …

Misrepresentation Of Carbohydrate For Exercise: ‘It Is Time To Bust The Myth Of Physical Inactivity And Obesity: You Cannot Outrun A Bad Diet’, Patrick B. Wilson

Athletic Performance Research

The contention from Malhotra et al1 regarding the unimportance of carbohydrate for exercise is misguided. First, the reference they provide is an editorial2 that should not be viewed as high-quality evidence. Several oft-cited exercise studies showing benefits with high-fat diets simultaneously utilized carbohydrate restoration strategies,3 which involves “carbohydrate loading” after a high-fat diet. Thus, the evidence provided does not contradict the established belief that carbohydrate is an important fuel for endurance exercise. Second, the authors’ use of the term “carbohydrate loading” is misleading in this context. No public health organizations advocate a diet containing carbohydrate in amounts used in “carbohydrate …

Step Activity And Stride-To-Stride Fluctuations Are Negatively Correlated In Individuals With Transtibial Amputation, Jenny A. Kent, Nicholas Stergiou, Shane Wurdeman

Journal Articles

Background

Variability occurs naturally from stride to stride in healthy gait. It has been shown that individuals with lower limb loss have significantly increased stride-to-stride fluctuations during walking. This is considered indicative of movement disorganization and is associated with less healthy movement. Given that lower limb prosthesis users perform on average less physical activity than able bodied individuals, the purpose of this study was to determine whether increased fluctuations also correspond to a reduced level of activity in daily life.

Methods

Twenty-two transtibial amputees wore an activity monitor (Actigraph, Pensacola, FL, USA) for 3 weeks. Lower limb kinematics during treadmill …

Optic Flow Improves Adaptability Of Spatiotemporal Characteristics During Split-Belt Locomotor Adaptation With Tactile Stimulation, Diderik Jan Anthony Eikema, Jung Chien, Nicholas Stergiou, Sara Myers, Melissa Scott-Pandorf, Jacob J. Bloomberg, Mukul Mukherjee

Journal Articles

Human locomotor adaptation requires feedback and feed-forward control processes to maintain an appropriate walking pattern. Adaptation may require the use of visual and proprioceptive input to decode altered movement dynamics and generate an appropriate response. After a person transfers from an extreme sensory environment and back, as astronauts do when they return from spaceflight, the prolonged period required for re-adaptation can pose a significant burden. In our previous paper, we showed that plantar tactile vibration during a split-belt adaptation task did not interfere with the treadmill adaptation however, larger overground transfer effects with a slower decay resulted. Such effects, in …