Biomechanics Commons^™

Strength And Hypertrophy Responses To Constant And Decreasing Rest Intervals In Trained Men Using Creatine Supplementation, Tacito P. Souza-Junior, Jeffrey M. Willardson, Richard Bloomer, Richard D. Leite, Steven J. Fleck, Paulo R. Oliveira, Robert Simao

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The purpose of the current study was to compare strength and hypertrophy responses to resistance training programs that instituted constant rest intervals (CI) and decreasing rest intervals (DI) between sets over the course of eight weeks by trained men who supplemented with creatine monohydrate (CR).

Finite Element Reconstruction Of Real World Aortic Injury In Near-Side Lateral Automotive Crashes With Conceptual Countermeasures, Aditya Neelakanta Belwadi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Traumatic rupture of the aorta (TRA) remains the second most common cause of death associated with motor vehicle crashes after brain injury. On an average, nearly 8,000 people die annually in the United States due to blunt injury to the aorta. It is observed that more than 80% of occupants who suffer an aortic injury die at the scene due to exsanguination into the chest. With the advent of more accurate and established human body finite element (FE) models, FE crash reconstruction methods may become a valuable tool when assessing crash scenarios and occupant injury mechanisms.

The current study is …

A Multi-Species Analysis Of Biomechanical Responses Of The Head To A Shock Wave, Richard Bolander

Wayne State University Dissertations

Shock wave induced brain injury remains a field of research that has great consequences for the rehabilitation of soldiers and civilians that are exposed to an explosion. As such, for the research to be successful in developing strategies to mitigate the effects of these injuries, appropriate research methods need to be developed. Animal models are currently employed to understand the brain's response to a shock wave exposure. Unfortunately no criteria have been established that indicates in what way the mechanical inputs that the cells in an animal's brain are subjected to are similar to a human. The purpose of this …

Computational Simulation Of Skull Fracture Patterns In Pediatric Subjects Using A Porcine Model, Christina Devito Wagner

Wayne State University Dissertations

In cases of suspected child abuse with skeletal trauma, it is often the role of the injury biomechanist, forensic pathologist, clinical radiologist, and forensic anthropologist to determine the mechanism of injury when the child victims cannot speak for themselves. This is a challenging task, especially for the head, as comprehensive biomechanical data on skull fracture in infants and children do not currently exist, and frequently the determination regarding cause of injury is based on anecdotal evidence from the medical literature and unsubstantiated eyewitness accounts. The current process may result in unreliable autopsy interpretation and miscarriages of justice due to a …

Walking Abnormalities Are Associated With Copd: An Investigation Of The Nhanes Iii Dataset, Jenna M. Yentes, Harlan Sayles, Jane Meza, David M. Mannino, Stephen I. Rennard, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Research on the peripheral effects of COPD has focused on physiological and structural changes. However, different from muscular weakness or decreased physical activity, mechanical abnormalities of the muscular system, e.g. walking, have yet to be investigated. Our purpose was to utilize the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset to determine whether walking abnormalities are associated with COPD severity. To determine if walking abnormalities were independently associated with COPD severity, our analysis aimed to investigate the association of physical activity levels with COPD severity and with walking abnormalities. The NHANES III dataset that contains data for 31,000 persons that …

Elliptical Exercise Improves Fatigue Ratings And Quality Of Life In Patients With Multiple Sclerosis, Jessie M. Huisinga, Mary Filipi, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Fatigue, reduced quality of life (QOL), and lower physical activity levels are commonly reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study evaluated the effects of elliptical exercise on fatigue and QOL reports in patients with MS. Patients with MS (n = 26) completed the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) before and after completing 15 elliptical exercise training sessions. Changes in fatigue and QOL were assessed based on any changes in the fatigue and SF-36 questionnaires, and correlations between changes in each of the …

Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facilty 2010-2011 Annual Report, Issue 9, Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility

Biomechanics Annual Report

April 2010 - May 2011

This issue features Announcements, Featured News, Student Profiles, Projects, Collaborators, Awards, Publications, and Support.

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 …

Validating The Nike+ Wireless Sport Kit For Estimating Pace, Distance, And Energy Expenditure During Treadmill Walking And Running, Derek Joseph Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of accelerometry based physical activity monitors among recreational athletes to meet or exceed recommended physical activity guidelines has grown in popularity. In the interest of capitalizing on this demand, Adidas developed the miCoach Pacer System which allows the user to observe pace, distance, and energy expenditure during walking or running. Purpose. To validate the accuracy of the Adidas miCoach activity monitor in estimating energy expenditure (EE) (kcal/min), pace (min/km), and distance (km) during treadmill walking and running, and for two different sensor configurations. Methods. Nine male and 9 female moderately endurance trained volunteers (mean ± SD age: 28.83 …

Anterior-Posterior And Medial-Lateral Control Of Sway In Infants During Sitting Acquisition Does Not Become Adult-Like, Fabien Cignetti, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Regina T. Harbourne, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

We examined (1) how sitting postural control in infants develops in the anterior–posterior (A/P) and medial–lateral (M/L) directions of sway, and (2) whether this control is already adult-like during the late phase of infant's sitting acquisition. COP data were acquired from 14 healthy infants (from the onset of sitting until independent sitting) and 21 healthy adults while sitting on a force platform. Attractor dimensionality (CoD: correlation dimension), attractor predictability (LyE: largest Lyapunov exponent), and sway variability (RMS: root-mean square) were calculated from the COP data to evaluate postural control. In the A/P direction, sitting was mastered by the infants by …

Electromechanical Delay Of The Knee Flexor Muscles After Harvesting The Hamstrings For Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Stavros Ristanis, Elias Tsepis, Dimitrios Giotis, Franceska Zampeli, Nikolaos Stergiou, Anastasios D. Georgoulis

Journal Articles

Objective: To investigate if harvesting of semitendinosus (ST) and gracilis for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction will have an effect in coordinative firing pattern of the hamstrings under fatigue. We hypothesized that fatigue will increase the electromechanical delay (EMD) of the hamstrings on the harvested site and impair the synchronization between the medial and lateral hamstrings, in terms of muscle activity onsets.

Design: Prospective nonrandomized study. Setting: Institutional. Patients: Twelve ACL reconstructed patients with hamstrings, 2 years postoperatively.

Interventions: The patients performed a fatigue protocol with 25 continuous maximal isometric voluntary contractions of 8-second duration with 2-second …

Regulation Of Cell Adhesion Strength By Spatial Organization Of Focal Adhesions, Kranthi Kumar Elineni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cell adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) is critical to various cellular processes like cell spreading, migration, growth and apoptosis. At the tissue level, cell adhesion is important in the pathological and physiological processes that regulate the tissue morphogenesis. Cell adhesion to the ECM is primarily mediated by the integrin family of receptors. The receptors that are recruited to the surface are reinforced by structural and signaling proteins at the adhesive sites forming focal adhesions that connect the cytoskeleton to further stabilize the adhesions. The functional roles of these focal adhesions extend beyond stabilizing adhesions and transduce mechanical signals at the …

Stride-To-Stride Variability Is Altered During Backward Walking In Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficient Patients, Franceska Zampeli, Constantina Moraiti Moraiti, Sofia Xergia, Vasilios Tsiaras, Nikolaos Stergiou, Anastasios D. Georgoulis

Journal Articles

Background: Recently backward walking is used by physical therapists to strengthen the hamstring muscles and thus improve the function of the knee joint of anterior cruciate ligament deficient patients. The aim of this study was to examine the stride-to-stride variability of anterior cruciate ligament deficient patients during backward walking. The variation of how a motor behavior emerges in time is best captured by tools derived from nonlinear dynamics, for which the temporal sequence in a series of values is the facet of interest.

Methods: Fifteen patients with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament deficiency and eleven healthy controls walked backwards …

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 …

A Comparison Of Interventions For Children With Cerebral Palsy To Improve Sitting Postural Control: A Clinical Trial, Regina T. Harbourne, Sandra L. Willett, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Joan E. Deffeyes, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background The ability to sit independently is fundamental for function but delayed in infants with cerebral palsy (CP). Studies of interventions directed specifically toward sitting in infants with CP have not been reported.

Objective The purpose of this study was to compare 2 interventions for improving sitting postural control in infants with CP.

Design For this randomized longitudinal study, infants under 2 years of age and at risk for CP were recruited for intervention directed toward sitting independence.

Setting The intervention was conducted at home or at an outpatient facility.

Patients and Intervention Fifteen infants with typical development (mean age …

Femoral Loading Mechanics In Virginia Opossums (Didelphis Virginiana): Torsion And Mediolateral Bending In Mammalian Parasagittal Locomotion, William Gosnell

All Theses

Studies of limb bone loading in terrestrial mammals have typically found anteroposterior bending to be the primary loading regime, with torsion contributing minimally. However, previous studies have focused on large, cursorial eutherian species in which the limbs are held essentially upright. Recent in vivo strain data from the Virginia opossum Didelphis virginiana, a marsupial that uses a crouched rather than upright limb posture, have indicated that its femur experiences moderate torsion during locomotion as well as strong mediolateral bending. The elevated femoral torsion and strong mediolateral bending observed in opossums (compared to other mammals) might result from external forces such …

Development Of Software To Estimate Pressures On The Residual Limbs Of Amputees By Means Of A Pylon Mounted Transducer, Malli K. Yalamanchili

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The alignment of prosthesis has been recognized as one of the main factors that determine successful prosthetic outcomes for trans-tibial amputees. Alignment is defined as the relative position and orientation of the prosthetic components. Misalignment can result in changes in the position and orientation of the joints of the leg and moments experienced by them during gait, increases in energy use, and discomfort or even tissue breakdown at the socket/stump interface. Hence it is very important to align the prosthesis in correct manner. Gait analysis can be used to examine the effects of incorrect alignment of the prosthesis during gait. …

Acl Reconstructed Patients With A Bptb Graft Present An Impaired Vastus Lateralis Neuromuscular Response During High Intensity Running, Kostas Patras, Giorgos Ziogas, Stavros Ristanis, Elias Tsepis, Nikolaos Stergiou, Anastasios D. Georgoulis

Journal Articles

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the electromyographic response of the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructed leg is similar to that of the intact contralateral leg and healthy controls, during moderate and high intensity running. Fourteen bone–patellar tendon–bone (BPTB) ACL reconstructed amateur soccer players and fourteen healthy control amateur soccer players volunteered to participate in the study. Electromyographic (EMG) traces from the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle were collected bilaterally, as athletes ran on a treadmill for 10 min on separate occasions, at moderate and high intensity. The dependent variable examined …

Gait Variability Patterns Are Altered In Healthy Young Individuals During The Acute Reperfusion Phase Of Ischemia-Reperfusion, Sara A. Myers, Nikolaos Stergiou, Iraklis Pipinos, Jason Johanning

Journal Articles

Background

The role of ischemia reperfusion contributing to functional impairment in lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients has not previously been elucidated. The evaluation of gait variability patterns has proven useful in many pathologic populations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to isolate and determine the specific effect of the acute reperfusion phase of ischemia-reperfusion on gait variability in young individuals with no vascular disease.

Materials and Methods

Thirty healthy young individuals walked on a treadmill during baseline and the acute reperfusion phase of ischemia-reperfusion conditions while lower extremity joint kinematics were captured. Stride to stride variability was …

Reliability Of Center Of Pressure Measures For Assessing The Development Of Sitting Postural Control In Infants With Or At Risk Of Cerebral Palsy, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Regina T. Harbourne, Valerie K. Shostrom, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Objective

To establish the test-retest reliability of linear and nonlinear measures, including intra- and intersession reliability, when used to analyze the center of pressure (COP) time series during the development of infant sitting postural control in infants with or at risk for cerebral palsy (CP).

Design

Longitudinal study.

Setting

University hospital laboratory.

Participants

Infants with or at risk for CP (N=18; mean age ± SD at entry into the study, 13.7±3.6mo).

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

Infant sitting COP data were recorded for 3 trials at each session (2 sessions for each month within 1 week) for 4 consecutive …

Severity And Characteristics Of Developmental Delay Can Be Assessed Using Variability Measures Of Sitting Posture, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Regina T. Harbourne, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Purpose: We sought to identify measures of variability from sitting postural sway that are significantly different among infants who were developing typically, those who were developmentally delayed or hypotonic, and those who later on had a diagnosis of spastic or athetoid cerebral palsy.

Methods: Sixty-five infants were evaluated when they were just developing the ability to sit upright by assessing center of pressure (COP) data, using measures of both amount and temporal organization of COP variability.

Results: The results indicated that measures of variability of COP could discriminate between infants with developmental delay and infants with cerebral palsy and add …

Response To Chastin Et Al.: Analysis Of Nonlinear Patterns Of Activity, James T. Cavanaugh, Nicholas Stergiou

Journal Articles

We appreciate the thoughtful commentary by Chastin and colleagues regarding our recent article entitled “Nonlinear Analysis of Ambulatory Activity Patterns in Community-dwelling Older Adults.” (1) We fully agree with their observation that the application of nonlinear analytical tools to accelerometry data is an emerging area of research that shows potential for illuminating the complex nature of physical activity profiles. We also welcome the opportunity to discuss their concerns regarding (a) our application of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), entropy rate, and approximate entropy to natural activity data and (b) our narrow focus on stepping activity.

Kinematic Evidence For Superfast Locomotory Muscle In Two Species Of Teneriffiid Mites, Grace C. Wu, Jonathan C. Wright, Dwight L. Whitaker, Anna N. Ahn

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Locomotory muscles typically operate over a narrow range of contraction frequencies, characterized by the predominant fiber types and functional roles. The highest documented frequencies in the synchronous sound-producing muscles of insects (550 Hz) and toadfish (200 Hz) far exceed the contraction frequencies observed in weight-bearing locomotory muscles, which have maximum documented frequencies below 15-30 Hz. Laws of scaling, however, predict that smaller arthropods may employ stride frequencies exceeding this range. In this study we measured running speed and stride frequency in two undescribed species of teneriffiid mites from the coastal sage scrub of southern California. Relative speeds of both species …

Abnormal Joint Powers Before And After The Onset Of Claudication Symptoms, Panagiotis Koutakis, Jason Johanning, Sara A. Myers, Nikolaos Stergiou, G. Matthew Longo, Iraklis Pipinos

Journal Articles

Objective: Claudication is the most common manifestation of peripheral arterial disease, producing significant ambulatory compromise. Our study evaluated patients with bilateral lower limb claudication and characterized their gait abnormality based on advanced biomechanical analysis using joint torques and powers.

Methods: Twenty patients with bilateral claudication (10 with isolated aortoiliac disease and 10 with combined aortoiliac and femoropopliteal disease) and 16 matched controls ambulated on a walkway while 3-dimensional biomechanical data were collected. Patients walked before and after onset of claudication pain. Joint torques and powers at early, mid, and late stance for the hip, knee, and ankle joints were calculated …

Pre-Swing Deficits In Forward Propulsion, Swing Initiation And Power Generation By Individual Muscles In Hemiparetic Walking, Carrie L. Peterson, Allison Kinney, Steven A. Kautz, Richard R. Neptune

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Clinical studies of hemiparetic walking have shown pre-swing abnormalities in the paretic leg suggesting that paretic muscle contributions to important biomechanical walking subtasks are different than those of non-disabled individuals. Three-dimensional forward dynamics simulations of two representative hemiparetic subjects with different levels of walking function classified by self-selected walking speed (i.e., limited community=0.4–0.8 m/s and community walkers=>0.8 m/s) and a speed-matched control were generated to quantify individual muscle contributions to forward propulsion, swing initiation and power generation during the pre-swing phase (i.e., double support phase proceeding toe-off). Simulation analyses identified decreased paretic soleus and gastrocnemius contributions to forward propulsion …

Relationships Between Muscle Contributions To Walking Subtasks And Functional Walking Status In Persons With Post-Stroke Hemiparesis, Allison Kinney, Carrie L. Peterson, Steven A. Kautz, Richard R. Neptune

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Walking speed is commonly used to predict stroke severity and assess functional walking status (i.e., household, limited community and community walking status) post-stroke. The underlying mechanisms that limit walking speed (and functional walking status by extension) need to be understood to improve post-stroke rehabilitation. Previous experimental studies have shown correlations between paretic plantarflexor output during the pre-swing phase and walking speed and suggest that the paretic hip flexors can compensate in some hemiparetic subjects. Modeling and simulation studies of healthy walking have shown that the ankle plantarflexors, soleus (SOL) and gastrocnemius (GAS), and uniarticular hip flexors (IL) are essential contributors …

Hip Power Asymmetry In Older Adult Fallers And Non-Fallers, Lauren Grace Mcdonald

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a difference exists in hip power asymmetry between community-dwelling older adult fallers and non-fallers. Hypothesis: fallers would be more asymmetrical than non-fallers. Participants: 21 non-fallers (10 females, 11 males) and 18 fallers (14 females, 4 males) over the age of 65 (76.5 ± 6.9yrs). Method: Isokinetic peak torque during flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction at four velocities was recorded as measures of leg power. Asymmetry equaled the percent of power difference between each leg. Data analysis: Differences in age, physical activity, height, weight, and BMI were assessed …

Differences In Muscle Activation In The Lower Extremities While Performing Traditional Squats And Non-Traditional Squats, Christopher M. Scotten

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine if muscle activation in the lower back and lower extremities differ when performing traditional squats compared to non-traditional (forward center of pressure on foot) squats. The erector spinae, hamstrings, quadriceps, adductor longus, gastrocnemius, and gluteus maximus muscles were monitored for differences in this study. There are several variations of the back squat and each variation may possibly target muscles differently. Determining if non-traditional squats leads to larger erector spinae muscle activation, which in turn may lead to more lower back fatigue and possible lower back injury is a major aim of this study. Participants: Thirteen healthy males …

Head And Shoulder Posture Affect Scapular Mechanics And Muscle Activity In Overhead Tasks, Charles A. Thigpen, Darin A. Padua, Lori A. Michener, Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Carol Guiliani, Jay D. Keener, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Forward head and rounded shoulder posture (FHRSP) is theorized to contribute to alterations in scapular kinematics and muscle activity leading to the development of shoulder pain. However, reported differences in scapular kinematics and muscle activity in those with forward head and rounded shoulder posture are confounded by the presence of shoulder pain. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare scapular kinematics and muscle activity in individuals free from shoulder pain, with and without FHRSP. Eighty volunteers were classified as having FHRSP or ideal posture. Scapular kinematics were collected concurrently with muscle activity from the upper and lower trapezius …

Treatment With Pharmacological Agents In Peripheral Arterial Disease Patients Does Not Result In Biomechanical Gait Changes, Jessie M. Huisinga, Iraklis Pipinos, Nikolaos Stergiou, Jason Johanning

Journal Articles

Pharmacological treatment has been used to alleviate the claudication symptoms and improve walking performance in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients. However, the effects of claudication treatments on gait mechanics have not been objectively indentified with biomechanical techniques. For this study, 20 PAD patients were assigned to take either pentoxifylline (n = 11) or cilostazol (n = 9), the two FDA-approved pharmacological therapies used to treat intermittent claudication symptoms. All patients completed a gait evaluation protocol that involved the acquisition of kinematic and kinetic gait data before use of the medication and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results showed that treatment …