Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Virtual Camp For Adolescents With Developmental Disabilities During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Changes In Physical Activity, Function, And Psychosocial Health, Sarah Creveling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD) have low levels of physical activity (PA), are more likely to be overweight or obese, and are at an increased risk of developing secondary conditions compared to their typically developing peers. Participation in PA has been linked to a myriad of benefits including improvements in psychosocial health, decreased risk of developing secondary conditions, and opportunities for socialization. Summer camps provide opportunities for adolescents with DD to participate in meaningful activities while being physically active during the summer months when school is out and there is a change in routines, skill and learning loss is a …

Modelling Muscle Activation Using Emg Signal, Mercy U. Okonna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

(EMG) is a method for measuring muscle activity by an electrical signal, and is useful in studying motor control, postural control, and in physical therapy. A current research topic is creating an algorithm that can use the EMG signal to reliably classify a muscle as active or inactive. This thesis presents a classification algorithm for leg muscles with a single activation spike while walking. Time is rescaled into steps, which are identified using data from cameras measuring joint angles while walking. The algorithm is based on moving averages and a convex combination of mean signal strength in active and inactive …

College Athletes' Experiences With A Lower Body Re-Injury: A Phenomenological Investigation, Samantha Holder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lower extremity injuries are the most common musculoskeletal sport injuries and are an inevitable risk to sport participation (Chalmers, 2002; Dane et al., 2004; Kay et al., 2017). When an athlete sustains an injury, fear of re-injury is a salient emotion many athletes experience (e.g., Disanti et al., 2018; Kvist et al., 2005; Lentz et al., 2015). Previous research has identified fear of re-injury as a risk factor to suffering a subsequent injury (e.g., An et al., 2019; Andersen & Williams, 1988; Paterno et al., 2018; Podlog et al., 2011; Tagesson & Kvist, 2016). Epidemiology studies have highlighted that re-injuries …

Injury Reporting Barriers Amongst Aviation Soldiers, Morgan Stanwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a high prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in the U.S. military which poses a major threat to military readiness. However, recent research indicates that Soldiers do not seek medical care for nearly half of their injuries. PURPOSE: Identify barriers in injury reporting using the Theory of Planned Behavior within a U.S. Army special operations aviation population. METHODS: This descriptive study utilized a self-report survey to explore injury rates, reporting rates, and perceptions of reporting behaviors. RESULTS: Of the 108 Soldiers who completed this study 77.8% experienced a MSKI in the previous 12 months and 69% sought medical care (reported …

The Effects Of A Mirror On Cognitive Strategy And Performance Of A Muscular Endurance Task, Brianna M. Simmons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: Mirrors are common-place in exercise facilities, however, the effect the mirror has on cognitive strategy (i.e., where the mind’s at) and performance time has not been examined in a muscular endurance task (i.e., a wall sit). Objective: To determine, (1) the mirror’s effect on cognitive state during a wall sit to volitional exhaustion, (2) the mirror's effect on time to volitional exhaustion during a wall sit, and (3) the mirror’s effect on the participant’s rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during the wall sit. Design: Repeated measures design. Setting: Indoor exercise facility. Participants: Twenty resistance-trained Georgia Southern University Students (9 …

Differential Effects Of Reduced Foot Sole Sensitivity And Nerve Conduction Velocity On Postural Control And Functional Gait, Kelsey D. Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Peripheral neuropathy is characterized by a loss of foot sole sensitivity and slowed nerve conduction velocity. Individuals with peripheral neuropathy have decreased postural control ability and functional gait performance. No research was found that differentiated the effects of the main symptoms of peripheral neuropathy on postural control and functional gait. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the differential effects of reduced foot sole sensitivity and slowed nerve conduction velocity on postural control and functional gait. METHODS: Two main clinical symptoms, H-index and foot sole sensitivity were evaluated among 35 participants. Outcome variables are the center of …

Health Behavior In International Student-Athletes, Alison Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: International student-athletes (ISAs) are a unique population that must overcome challenges associated both with being an international student as well as with being a student-athlete(Bradley, 2000; Bentzinger, 2016). These challenges include the increased likelihood of injury and the subsequent need for healthcare. Athletic trainers are responsible for providing and coordinating healthcare for student-athletes when it is needed. In order to provide high-quality care, it is important that they understand the unique values and experiences of each individual athlete (Unruh, 1998).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine how cultural factors and past experience impact health behavior in …

Data Patterns Discovery Using Unsupervised Learning, Rachel A. Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-care activities classification poses significant challenges in identifying children’s unique functional abilities and needs within the exceptional children healthcare system. The accuracy of diagnosing a child's self-care problem, such as toileting or dressing, is highly influenced by an occupational therapists’ experience and time constraints. Thus, there is a need for objective means to detect and predict in advance the self-care problems of children with physical and motor disabilities. We use clustering to discover interesting information from self-care problems, perform automatic classification of binary data, and discover outliers. The advantages are twofold: the advancement of knowledge on identifying self-care problems in …

Differences In Lower Body Strength, Power Between Genders, Shonterious D. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Athletic individuals have many characteristics, which make them more elite than the average individual. When determining an individual’s physical fitness level, strength, power, and agility are commonly examined. When measuring strength, power, and agility in elite athletes the scores are compared to some portion of body composition such as muscle cross-sectional area and fat-free mass. When looking at the same factors in recreationally trained individuals the research mostly normalized to body weight. PURPOSE: To examine the differences in lower body strength, power, and agility in male and female recreationally trained individuals when normalized to body mass, fat-free mass, and …

Baseline Postural Control Measures: An Indicator For Increased Injury Frequency Following Sports Related Concussion, Emily Belson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: An increase in acute lower extremity (LE) injuries have been observed in athletes following sports-related concussion.^{1, 2, 3} It has been suggested that lingering postural control deficits as a result of concussive injury, may play a role in the increased prevalence of injury.¹ PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between baseline postural control metrics (Root Mean Square; Peak Excursion Velocity; Sample Entropy) and acute LE injury frequency in NCAA Division I student athletes (SA) with a previous history of concussion. METHODS: Eighty-four NCAA Division I SA were selected from a single university, 42 SA with a previous history …

Psychological Readiness Of Athletes To Return To Play Following Injury, Alyssa C. Monahan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Returning an injured athlete to sport before they are both physically and psychologically ready can lead to increased psychological concerns. Traditionally, return to play decisions are based on physical outcomes and it is rare if an athlete is held back from returning to sport if he or she is not psychologically ready to return. Therefore, athletes may be returning to play before they are psychologically ready. Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the psychological readiness of the athlete to return to play following injury, and the degree to which psychological readiness was considered by the …

The Reliability Of The Navicular Drop Test And Its Transferability To Dynamic Movement, Joshua Krispin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Navicular drop can be defined as the distance the navicular tuberosity moves from a standing weight bearing to a standing neutral position, as the subtalar joint moves from a relaxed position to a neutral position. Navicular drop is an important measurement for clinicians used to describe foot function, pronation, and excessive movement seen in several pathologies. Objective: The purpose of this study is to see if navicular drop is influenced by mode or speed of locomotion, if it is will there be other influences such as the forefoot and heel soft tissue, and will those factors influence those measures. …

Differences In Trunk And Hip Flexion/Extension Strength, Jasmin Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: The definition of the “core” within the literature is misconstrued: some researchers believe the core only involves muscles of the trunk while others believe it also includes muscles of the hip. Core strength tests typically include exercises that activate hip flexors and extensors without a firm definition of the “core” including the muscles of the hip. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to differentiate between the strength of the trunk and hip during flexion and extension.

Methods: Participants included 28 Division I collegiate athletes from a single university (12 males, 16 females, height (in.) = 69.14 ± 4.81, …

An Exploration Of The Underlying Mechanisms Causing Spasticity In Young People With Cerebral Palsy, Alexis Carnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background and Objective(s): Spasticity is a common symptom experienced by individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Spastic CP is often accompanied by hypertonia. Currently, there is a limited understanding of the contributions of spasticity to hypertonia which can in turn hinder the development of new rehabilitative measure to improve these conditions. Additionally, clinical evaluation of spasticity is limited to observational techniques such as the Ashworth scale. The purpose of this study was to compare differences in passive joint torque in the upper extremity between individuals with severe, spastic CP (MACS III-V) and healthy, age-matched controls at different speeds during passive stretching. …

The Emotions, Coping And Social Support Perceived By Ncaa Division I Athletes During Concussion Recovery: A Qualitative Study, Paige Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: Concussed patients require an individualized assessment and treatment plan in order to improve the outcomes associated with their overall recovery. A new model has been created to explain the psychological response to sport concussion injury and rehabilitation process. This model highlights pre-injury and post-injury factors affecting the recovery process including emotions, coping and social support. Understanding the emotional disturbances, coping behaviors and social support available to concussed athletes may provide valuable information for the healthcare team in management and care for the concussed athlete.

Purpose: To identify and describe the emotions, coping mechanisms and social support perceived by Division …

The Use Of A Visual Motor Test To Identify Lingering Deficits In Concussed Collegiate Athletes, Erik W. Sanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur annually. Athletes who have suffered a concussion but are symptom free and have returned to baseline on conventional tests may not necessarily be recovered from the effects of the concussion. The premature return to play of an unrecovered athlete may increase the risk of a subsequent concussion. Measurement of upper-limb visual motor coordination has identified lingering deficits following concussion and so it may provide clinicians with a more sensitive means of tracking recovery. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if a visual motor coordination test would identify lingering deficits …