Biomechanics Commons^™

Trunk Postural Balance And Low Back Pain: Reliability And Relationship With Clinical Changes Following A Lumbar Stabilization Exercise Program, Ali Shahvarpour, Dany H. Gagnon, Richard Preuss, Sharon M. Henry, Christian Larivière

Études primaires

Lumbar stabilization programs reduce pain and disability, but the mechanisms of action underlying this treatment are unknown. Trunk postural control during unstable sitting represents a surrogate measure of motor control mechanisms involved to maintain the dynamic stability of the spine. This exploratory study aimed to determine the reliability of trunk postural control measures over an 8-week interval, their sensitivity to low back pain status and treatment and their relationship with clinical outcomes. Trunk postural control measures were determined in patients with low back pain before and after an 8-week lumbar stabilization exercise program. Healthy controls were assessed over the same …

The Effect Of Asymmetry On Pregnancy-Related Pain In The Postpartum Period, Krista G. Meder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nearly 50% of women experience back pain and other lower extremity pain during pregnancy, with many reporting lasting pain postpartum. Pregnant women experience changes to their pelvis and lower extremities that do not always return to pre-pregnancy baseline. Not much is known of the lingering effects of pregnancy related asymmetry and its relationship to pain. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess asymmetries of the pelvis and lower extremities to determine whether malalignment is related to areas of pain at the low back, hip, thigh, knee, leg, and foot/ankle. Methods: Seventeen postpartum women and seven nulliparous controls were …

Introducing Statistical Persistence Decay – A Quantification Of Stride-To-Stride Time Interval Dependency In Human Gait, P. C. Raffalt, J. M. Yentes

Journal Articles

Stride-to-stride time intervals during human walking are characterised by predictability and statistical persistence quantified by sample entropy (SaEn) and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) which indicates a time dependency in the gait pattern. However, neither analyses quantify time dependency in a physical or physiological interpretable time scale. Recently, entropic half-life (ENT½) has been introduced as a measure of the time dependency on an interpretable time scale. A novel measure of time dependency, based on DFA, statistical persistence decay (SPD), was introduced. The present study applied SaEn, DFA, ENT½, and SPD in known theoretical signals (periodic, chaotic, and random) and stride-to-stride time …

Saccadic Eye Movements Between Strategic, Interceptive, And Non-Athletes, Brian Szekely

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Athletes have differences in object tracking, search strategies, number and duration of fixations, dynamic visual acuity (DVA), and predictive eye movements than non-athletes (NON). However, these eye functions have not been assessed between athlete groups during a task that encompasses antisaccade and DVA characteristics. Purpose: To evaluate the oculomotor control sport paradigm differences between interceptive (INT) and strategic (STR) Division I collegiate athletes, as well as NON with an antisaccade task (AS) and a sport-like dual task (SDT). Methods: Fifty-seven participants (19 STR, 19 INT, and 19 NON) performed 2 trials of an AS and a SDT. Participants stood …

The Effect Of Wearing A Lumbar Belt On Biomechanical And Psychological Outcomes Related To Maximal Flexion-Extension Motion And Manual Material Handling, Ali Shahvarpour, Richard Preuss, Michael J.L. Sullivan, Alessia Negrini, Christian Larivière

Études primaires

Workers with low back pain (LBP) may benefit from wearing a lumbar belt (LB), but the biomechanical and psychological mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Two types of flexible LB (extensible and non-extensible) were compared to a control condition (no LB) regarding pain-related (pain, fear of pain and catastrophizing) and biomechanical (range of motion – ROM) outcomes related to two tasks: maximal trunk flexion-extension and manual material handling. Healthy controls and participants with LBP were tested. During both tasks, the two LBs reduced the lumbar ROM in participants with LBP in the same way as healthy controls. This was observed …

Relationships Between Throwing Velocity And Selected Kinematics In Youth Baseball Players, Nick Hedgecock

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Research investigating baseball position players has been limited primarily to pitchers. The current study examined several kinematic variables and their relationship with ball velocity in middle and high school-aged baseball players using two-dimensional (2D) motion analysis. The purpose of this study was to investigate these relationships using 2D motion analysis and compare these results to those reported in the literature using 3D analysis. Thirteen baseball players (15.31 ± 1.25 yrs., 72.29 ± 10.79 kg and 177.09 ± 5.59 cm tall) participated in the study. A video camera was used to record three throwing trials for each participant. Four reflective markers …

Musculoskeletal Outcomes From Chronic High-Speed, High-Impulse Resistance Exercise, John Francis Caruso, Michael Voor, Jason R. Jaggers, T. B. Symons, Jeremy Stith, Ling Bai, Ema Selimovic, Kathy Carter, Jennifer Daily

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

While bones and muscles adapt to mechanical loading, it appears that very specific types of stimuli must be applied to achieve osteogenesis. Our study assessed musculoskeletal outcomes to 30 training sessions on an Inertial Exercise Trainer (Newnan, GA). Subjects (n = 13) performed workouts with their left leg, while their right served as an untreated control. Work-outs entailed three 60-s sets each of knee extension, hip extension and calf press exercises, separated by 90-s rests. Before and after the 30 training sessions, subjects underwent strength tests (knee and ankle extensors of both legs), DEXA scans (hip, knee and ankles of …

A Comparison Of The Stability & Pressure Distribution Between Young Adults And A Transtibial Amputee During Obstacle Crossing, Colin Kirst

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Falls are identified as the largest risk and leading cause of injury for multiple populations, including young adults and individuals with a transtibial amputation. Furthermore, obstacle crossing is identified as the number one cause of a trip, which subsequently leads to falling. Previous research provides conflicting results and a lack of specificity in certain outcome measures of dynamic stability during obstacle crossing. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to gain foundational knowledge on outcome measures related to dynamic stability during an obstacle crossing protocol. An additional purpose was to investigate the dynamic stability of young adults, and speculate on …

Influence Of Gluteus Medius Strength On Interlimb Asymmetry In Female Recreational Runners., Morgan Meyer, Olivia Moody, Kathryn Harrison, Gregory Crosswell, Bhushan Thakkar

Undergraduate Research Posters

PURPOSE: Running-related injuries are most often single-sided and are partially attributed to lower limb movement and loading asymmetries.¹ Gluteus Medius (GM) plays a significant role in lower limb alignment, especially in the frontal and transverse planes by its influence on the pelvis and the femur.² Female runners are more prone to GM weakness which has been proposed to be a risk factor for overuse injuries.³ These strength deficits contribute to abnormal lower limb kinematics and kinetics during dynamic tasks like running and jumping.⁴ These changes include an increase in peak hip adduction angle (HA), hip internal …

The Effects Of Prophylactic Ankle Bracing On Knee And Hip Mechanics In Basketball Players During Jump Landing, Riann Thayer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Background: Many athletes of various sports have been required to wear ankle braces for prophylactic uses. Ankle braces have been shown to decrease range of motion in all directions, which means the main force absorption mechanism of the ankle may be inhibited. This decrease in force absorption at the ankle may increase the mechanical demands at the more proximal knee and hip joints. In this study, the change in knee, hip and lower back mechanics will be investigated to gain understanding as to whether bracing the ankle could create a higher injury potential. Methods: In this study, 12 intercollegiate basketball …

Injury And Illness In Marching Band And Color Guard Members And The Need For Athletic Trainers: A Critically Appraised Topic, Alissa C. Rhode

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

Purpose: To determine the prevalence, incidence, risk, rate, and type of injury and illness suffered by collegiate and high school marching band (MB) and color guard (CG) members and determine if there is a need for medical coverage. Methods: Articles were identified from: PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Collection, ScienceDirect, and single-citation matching using search string, ["marching band" OR "color guard" OR "marching athlete" AND injury] from January 1990-to-October 2016, resulting in 141 articles. Following screening (title, abstract), six articles were reviewed. Four met these inclusion criteria: (1) peer-reviewed, cross-sectional studies, (2) high school or collegiate-aged members, …

The Head Shake Sensory Organization Test (Hs-Sot): Normative Data And Correlation With Dynamic Visual Acuity Testing, Andrea E. Cripps, Scott C. Livingston

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

Background: Among healthy (asymptomatic) subjects and patients, the relationship between performance on the Head Shake Sensory Organization Test (HS-SOT) and performance on the Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) testing has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to establish normative data for the HS-SOT and compare performance on the HS-SOT and the DVA test. Hypothesis: A strong positive correlation would exist between the DVA and the HS-SOT. Study Design: A cross-sectional design was used. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Sixty asymptomatic subjects (34 females, 26 males, ages 20 to 26 years, 23.7±1.6) participated. Each subject’s dynamic balance …

Utilization Of Cupping Therapy In The Treatment Of Vascular Thoracic Outlet Syndrome In A Collegiate Pitcher: A Case Study, Stephen A. Cage, Diana M. Gallegos, Brandon J. Warner

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

Objective: Present a clinical case detailing the effectiveness of dry cupping therapy in treating thoracic outlet syndrome. The utilization of dry cupping therapy on a 20-year-old collegiate baseball pitcher with diagnosed thoracic outlet syndrome is presented. Background: Thoracic outlet syndrome is a relatively rare musculoskeletal condition affecting 1/100,000 patients annually. Dry cupping therapy is an ancient therapeutic modality that utilizes various means of suction with the goal of decompressing myofascial layers. Treatment: Following diagnosis, patient was successfully treated in two weeks using dry cupping therapy. The patient experienced no further incidence of thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms and was able …

Athletic Trainers’ Knowledge Of Legal Practice Within Information Technology And Social Media, Elizabeth R. Neil, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Lindsey E. Eberman

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

Purpose: As healthcare and technology continue to connect in daily practice, athletic trainers (ATs) must be knowledgeable of the governing acts for ethical and legal clinical practice. This is vital to ensure ethical and legal practice as a clinician and protection of confidential protected health information (PHI). The objective of this study was to assess certified athletic trainers’ knowledge of regulations within technology and social media (SoMe). Methods: Certified ATs were recruited from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association membership database. Respondents completed an instrument of 28 questions, including 16 participant demographics, clinical site demographics, SoMe usage and general questions, and …

Accurate Determination And Application Of Local Strain For Studying Tissues With Gradients In Mechanical Properties, John Boyle

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Determination of the mechanical behavior of materials requires an understanding of deformation during loading. While this is traditionally accomplished in engineering by examining a force displacement curve for a whole sample, these techniques implicitly ignore local geometric complexities and local material inhomogeneities commonly found in biologic tissues. Techniques such as normalized cross correlation have been classically applied to address this issue and resolve deformation at the local level; however, these techniques have proven unreliable when deformations become large, if the sample undergoes a rotation, and/or if strain fields become incompatible (e.g. at or near failure).

Presented here is a toolbox …

Mechanics Of The Developing Brain: From Smooth-Walled Tube To The Folded Cortex, Kara Ellspermann Garcia

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Over the course of human development, the brain undergoes dramatic physical changes to achieve its final, convoluted shape. However, the forces underlying every cinch, bulge, and fold remain poorly understood. This doctoral research focuses on the mechanical processes responsible for early (embryonic) and late (preterm) brain development.

First, we examine early brain development in the chicken embryo, which is similar to human at these stages. Research has primarily focused on molecular signals to describe morphogenesis, but mechanical analysis can also provide important insights. Using a combination of experiments and finite element modeling, we find that actomyosin contraction is responsible for …

Characterizing Anisotropy In Fibrous Soft Materials By Mr Elastography Of Slow And Fast Shear Waves, John Larson Schmidt

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The general objective of this work was to develop experimental methods based on magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to characterize fibrous soft materials. Mathematical models of tissue biomechanics capable of predicting injury, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), are of great interest and potential. However, the accuracy of predictions from such models depends on accuracy of the underlying material parameters. This dissertation describes work toward three aims. First, experimental methods were designed to characterize fibrous materials based on a transversely isotropic material model. Second, these methods are applied to characterize the anisotropic properties of white matter brain tissue ex vivo. Third, …

Reduced Vertical Displacement Of The Center Of Mass Is Not Accompanied By Reduced Oxygen Uptake During Walking, Shane R. Wurdeman, Peter C. Raffalt, Nicholas Stergiou

Journal Articles

The six determinants of gait proposed that the goal of gait is to minimize vertical displacement of the body’s center of mass (CoM) with the objective to optimize energy expenditure. On the contrary, recent investigations suggest that reduced vertical displacement leads to an increase in energy expenditure. However, these investigations had the included subjects deliberately changing their gait, which could bias the endpoint measures. The present study investigated the effect of reduced vertical displacement of the CoM on oxygen uptake and walking economy without imposing altered gait patterns. This was accomplished by having subjects walk on a curved treadmill and …

Control Surfaces Of Aquatic Vertebrates: Active And Passive Design And Function, Frank E. Fish, George V. Lauder

Biology Faculty Publications

Aquatic vertebrates display a variety of control surfaces that are used for propulsion, stabilization, trim and maneuvering. Control surfaces include paired and median fins in fishes, and flippers and flukes in secondarily aquatic tetrapods. These structures initially evolved from embryonic fin folds in fishes and have been modified into complex control surfaces in derived aquatic tetrapods. Control surfaces function both actively and passively to produce torque about the center of mass by the generation of either lift or drag, or both, and thus produce vector forces to effect rectilinear locomotion, trim control and maneuvers. In addition to fins and flippers, …

Effects Of Direction Time Constraints And Walking Speed On Turn Strategies And Gait Adaptations In Healthy Older And Young Adults, Dennis Torre

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Hip fractures can be life-threatening, debilitating, and costly. The odds for hip fracture increases from impact of sideways falls. While turning has been strongly associated with hip fracture & sideways falls, the distinction between the risks for walking-turns as opposed to low-velocity in-place turning is not clear. The present study sought to fill a gap as previous research had not compared walking-turn performance in young & healthy older adults at low-fall risk within the same study and response-conditions of speed interacting with direction-cue time constraints. Spatial-temporal variables representative of AP braking/propulsion (i.e. stride-length & speed) & ML stability (left/right H-H …

Biomechanics (Chapter 9), Nicholas Stergiou, K.-C. Siu, Sara Myers, Ben Senderling

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. Kinesiology, the parent discipline of biomechanics, is a science that investigates movement. Biomechanical research in human development focuses on evaluating essential movement patterns across the human life span. Biomechanical analysis is specifically important in quantifying the developmental motor skills and movement patterns such as walking, kicking, jumping, throwing, and catching. Biomechanical research also involves studying the movement patterns of injured and disabled people. Forensic biomechanists are invited to analyze evidence, clarify some …

Energy Neutral: The Human Foot And Ankle Subsections Combine To Produce Near Zero Net Mechanical Work During Walking, Kota Z. Takahashi, Kate Worster, Dustin A. Bruening

Journal Articles

The human foot and ankle system is equipped with structures that can produce mechanical work through elastic (e.g., Achilles tendon, plantar fascia) or viscoelastic (e.g., heel pad) mechanisms, or by active muscle contractions. Yet, quantifying the work distribution among various subsections of the foot and ankle can be difficult, in large part due to a lack of objective methods for partitioning the forces acting underneath the stance foot. In this study, we deconstructed the mechanical work production during barefoot walking in a segment-by-segment manner (hallux, forefoot, hindfoot, and shank). This was accomplished by isolating the forces acting within each foot …

Functional Changes Through The Usage Of 3d-Printed Transitional Prostheses In Children, Jorge Zuniga, Jean Peck, Rakesh Srivastava, James E. Pierce, Drew Dudley, Nicholas T. Than, Nicholas Stergiou

Journal Articles

Introduction: There is limited knowledge on the use of 3 D-printed transitional prostheses, as they relate to changes in function and strength. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify functional and strength changes after usage of 3 D-printed transitional prostheses for multiple weeks for children with upper-limb differences.

Materials and methods: Gross manual dexterity was assessed using the Box and Block Test and wrist strength was measured using a dynamometer. This testing was conducted before and after a period of 24 ± 2.61 weeks of using a 3 D-printed transitional prosthesis. The 11 children (five girls and six …

Rehabilitating Asymmetric Gait Using Asymmetry, Tyagi Ramakrishnan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human gait is a complex process that involves the coordination of the central nervous and muscular systems. A disruption to the either system results in the impairment of a person’s ability to walk. Impairments can be caused by neurological disorders such as stroke and physical conditions like amputation. There is not a standardized method to quantitatively assess the gait asymmetry of affected subjects. The purpose of this research is to understand the fundamental aspects of asymmetrical effects on the human body and improve rehabilitation techniques and devices. This research takes an interdisciplinary approach to address the limitations with current rehabilitation …

Reliability Of A Feedback-Controlled Treadmill Algorithm Dependent On The User's Behavior, Casey Wiens, William Denton, Molly Schieber, Ryan Hartley, Vivien Marmelat, Sara A. Myers, Jennifer M. Yentes

Journal Articles

he reliability of the treadmill belt speed using a feedback-controlled treadmill algorithm was analyzed in this study. Using biomechanical factors of the participant's walking behavior, an estimated walking speed was calculated and used to adjust the speed of the treadmill. Our proposed algorithm expands on the current hypotheses of feedback-controlled treadmill algorithms and is presented below. Nine healthy, young adults walked on a treadmill controlled by the algorithm for three trials over two days. Each participant walked on the feedback-controlled treadmill for one 16-minute and one five-minute trial during day one and one 16-minute trial during day two. Mean, standard …

Perceived Stress Levels May Impact Upper Extremity Function Among Women Treated For Breast Cancer, Mary Insana Fisher, Anne Fleischer, Lynn Hendricks, Megan Mcclure, Kim Parent, Renee Roberts

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Purpose/Hypothesis: Women treated for breast cancer report ongoing upper extremity disability with functional limitations; however, objective measures do not appear to explain the extent of perceived dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived stress level, fear of physical activity, self-reported upper extremity function, and objective measures of upper extremity function including range of motion (ROM), strength, and muscular endurance, among women treated for breast cancer.

Number of Subjects: 25

Materials/Methods: Women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer in the past 12-60 months were evaluated using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), …

Pertinacity Volume 3 Issue 1, Yuri Hosokawa

Pertinacity

No abstract provided.

Pertinacity Volume 3 Issue 2, Yuri Hosokawa

Pertinacity

No abstract provided.

Multifractality, Interactivity, And The Adaptive Capacity Of The Human Movement System: A Perspective For Advancing The Conceptual Basis Of Neurologic Physical Therapy, Jon Cavanaugh, Damian G. Kelty-Stephen, Nicholas Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background and Purpose:

Physical therapists seek to optimize movement as a means of reducing disability and improving health. The short-term effects of interventions designed to optimize movement ultimately are intended to be adapted for use across various future patterns of behavior, in potentially unpredictable ways, with varying frequency, and in the context of multiple tasks and environmental conditions. In this perspective article, we review and discuss the implications of recent evidence that optimal movement variability, which previously had been associated with adaptable motor behavior, contains a specific complex nonlinear feature known as “multifractality.”

Summary of Key Points:

Multifractal movement fluctuation …

Maturational Timing And Swim Performance In Collegiate Female Swimmers, Brian V. Wright, Andrew C. Cornett, Sierra Wagner, Alan Duski, Joel M. Stager

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if maturational timing is related to collegiate swim performance. Maturational timing was estimated using age at menarche (AaM), which was determined retrospectively in collegiate swimmers (N = 273). Each swimmer’s best performance during the 2015-2016 NCAA season was obtained from the USA Swimming database and selected based on Power Point Score (PPS), a standardized score given to all performances in the database. Independent samples t tests were used to compare (i) PPS and body mass index (BMI; from selfreported height and weight) between earlier maturing (youngest 33% at menarche) and later maturing …