Other Kinesiology Commons^™

Biomechanical Effects Of Exercise-Based Interventions In Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Lara De Vecchi Machado

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNLBP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide and represents a complex, multifactorial, and heterogeneous condition. It is characterized by substantial interindividual variability in muscle activation patterns, lumbo-pelvic coordination, and movement strategies. Although exercise is widely recommended as a first-line intervention and its clinical benefits are well established, the biomechanical mechanisms underlying functional improvement remain fragmented in the literature and are rarely synthesized quantitatively.

This dissertation conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis to investigate the biomechanical effects of exercise-based interventions in individuals with CNLBP. A total of 39 studies were included and …

Investigating Non-Functional Overreaching In Special Operations Tactical Training, Jeremy Alan Ross

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Special Operations Forces (SOF) tactical training requires high levels of physical performance and psychological resilience. This training is often characterized by extreme temperatures and environments, extremely high levels of physical activity and large caloric deficits. As such, SOF personnel follow intense strength and conditioning (S&C) programs to enhance a wide range of athletic abilities. Such programs rely on a balance between training stress and recovery to allow for gradual improvement in physical ability over time, however it is unknown how to quantify tactical training stress in the context of a training program. This dissertation explores evidence related to how this …

Psychological Impacts In Exercise Riders And Professional Jockeys Following Injury, Kelley M. Renner

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

One of the most well-known equestrian sports, horse racing, is not only a cornerstone of Kentucky’s economy, but also a vital part of its culture, with professional jockeys playing an essential role in the local communities and traditions that define the state. Despite its popularity and financial impact, mental health challenges within the sport have continually been shrouded in silence and ignored in research (Ball et al., 2007). Equally concerning is the high injury prevalence, and psychological impact of these injuries (e.g., psychological distress, depression, anxiety, loss of identity, and self-esteem (King et al., 2022; Losty et al., 2019; McConn-Palfreyman …

Consequences Of Shift Work And Job-Related Exposure On Sleep And Musculoskeletal Outcomes In Structural Firefighters, Jacob Dennis Jelmini

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Firefighting is considered one of the most dangerous occupations in the workforce. Musculoskeletal injuries are consistently the most frequent, and most costly, documented non-fatal injuries in the firefighting setting. An increase in job stress, job exposure, and deprived sleep secondary to job-related duties are plausible explanations for the frequency in musculoskeletal injury. The aims of this dissertation were to ascertain not only how occupational exposure via firefighter emergency call volume may influence outcomes contributing to job stress and objective and subjective sleep metrics, but also its influence on the incidences of musculoskeletal pain.

The results showed that emergency call volume …

The Relationship Of Multidimensional Athlete Characteristics Versus Competition Performance And Participation In American Football Players, Alex Brownell

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

BACKGROUND: Athlete evaluation in American football is dominated by the evaluation characteristics that underly key performance indicators (KPI’s) in the physical domain of performance. Team sport athlete performance is comprised of a combination of attributes in the physical, technical, tactical, and mental domains of performance. Using only KPI’s in the physical domain of performance to predict competition performance of American football athletes is challenging due to the differences in performance outcomes of the varying positions in American football and absence of the other performance dimensions that are not accounted for. Advances in athlete assessment have revolutionized the process of evaluating …

Analysis Of The Difference In Landing Between Male And Female High School Soccer Athletes, Jessica Vogt

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Introduction: Females are consistently found to be at a higher risk of tearing their ACL. Extensive research has been completed previously to determine what causes an ACL tear and why this separation exists but a confirmed conclusion has not been found. Potential extrinsic factors such as decreased knee flexion and increased valgus have commonly been suggested as increased stressors on the ACL. The focus of this study is to determine if there is a significant difference in these two factors between males and females.

Methods: Seven healthy and highly trained subjects between the ages of 17 and 18 who do …

Static Stretching And Preconditioning Exercise Augments Power Output In Recreational Athletes, Mark R. Mason

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The purpose of this study was to determine the independent and combined effects of performing a preconditioning exercise and antagonist stretching on vertical jump (VJ) performance. Twenty club rugby players performed a VJ in four conditions: control condition, following static stretching, following a preconditioning exercise, and following the combined treatment of static stretching and a preconditioning exercise. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was measured in the gluteus maximus, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius medialis, and tibialis anterior during the VJ trials. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare VJ and EMG outcomes across conditions. A Bonferroni correction was used to account for multiple post-hoc …

Role Of Satellite Cells In Long Term Fiber Type Shifts, Honglu Liu

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Muscle fiber type shifts in respect to satellite cells, muscle stem cells, are not well understood currently. The Peterson Lab has generated a mouse model (PAX7-DTA) that ablates satellite cells to determine if these muscle stem cells contribute to mouse muscle fiber type changes over an eight week period. In the study, control and satellite-cell-ablated mouse groups were split into control and overload groups (via synergist ablation surgery) and placed under similar environmental conditions. Eight weeks post-experiment, muscles were dissected to obtain the plantaris muscles of animals from all groups. Muscle cross-sections obtained were immunohistochemically stained, imaged, quantified by fiber …