Sports Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of Ground Reaction Forces And Muscle Activity Of The Tsunami Bar® Against A Rigid Barbell During Back Squat Phases, John Carver Middleton

Theses and Dissertations

An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study was conducted to investigate the effects of the Tsunami Bar® (TB), a flexible barbell, on ground reaction force (GRF) production and muscle activity in the quadricep, hamstring, and gluteal muscle groups during phases of the squat exercise and compare the effects to the effects to using a rigid barbell (RB). A two-by-two repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare the results. Descriptive statistics showed significantly higher GRFs for the TB during the unweighting phase, significant differences in GRFs between speeds for each phase, significantly higher forces on average with the …

Be The Hammer, Jonathan M. Novick

Theses and Dissertations

John Young is an accomplished athlete, he has run marathons, long distance triathlons and other impressive feats all at the height of 4 feet 3 inches tall. Jon Novick, a fellow little person athlete, journeys into Young’s story sidestepping played out themes of inspiration and plunging into something deeper.

The Effects Of Migraines, Anxiety And Depression On Concussion Recovery, Donovan A. Howard

Theses and Dissertations

Concussion recovery has been a very relevant topic in the medical field recently. The impact that a concussion has on the patient post-injury has been a topic of debate. What has not been included in many of these studies has been whether or not certain factors in a medical history of patients under the age of 24 can predispose them to a longer concussion recovery. Medical factors such as depression, anxiety and migraines can result in different areas of the developing brain being compromised such as the hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, striatum, and amygdala. A longer recovery duration …

The Effects Of Fatigue On Lower Extremity Neuromuscular Control, Matthew Thomas Marcen

Theses and Dissertations

Lower extremity injuries and pathologies are amongst the most common issues recreational athletes face. Fatigue is a factor that may impact how the lower extremity performs on a neuromuscular level. Neuromuscular control is a vital aspect of athletic performance and everyday life, that when hindered, may produce pathological results. The research is contradictory on whether or not fatigue produces a significant impact during neuromuscular performance. The purpose of this study is to assess neuromuscular control following a lower extremity fatigue protocol.

This study was a randomized a controlled trial. Twenty-one recreationally active subjects, 10 males and 11 females, between the …

Plyometric Training And Its Effects On The Neuromuscular System, Bradley Andrew Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Plyometric training is commonly employed by athletic trainers, personal trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches, especially for those athletes who require quickness, agility, and high vertical jump performance. It is well documented in its ability to increase these aspects of performance.(12, 14, 16, 20) There are many proposed mechanisms in place which attempt to explain why it is so effective, however, many of the proposed mechanisms are still theoretical. The purpose of this study is to examine some of those proposed mechanisms that drive the success of plyometric training. This project investigates the neurological effects of plyometric training by examining …

Testing Postural Control With Kinesiology Tape And A Compression Ankle Sleeve In Dancers, Sarah Catherine Unger

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to assess if kinesiology tape (KT) and compression sleeves can influence balance and postural control by assessing center of pressure (CoP). This study will also compare the effectiveness of increasing postural control between KT and a compression sleeve. Fifteen female subjects between the ages of 18 and 22 years old volunteered to participate in this study. One subject's data was discarded due to KT disruption. The fourteen remaining subjects were randomly assigned to either the KT, compression sleeve, or control group. Each subject performed a semi-dynamic balance test (modified Airplane Test) on a portable …

The Relationship Between The Use Of Hormonal Contraceptives And Ligamentous Knee Injury In The Female Collegiate Athlete, Nicole Michelle Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Female athletes are three to six times more likely than males to sustain a ligamentous knee injury due to hormonal risk factors. Hormones of the menstrual cycle have been shown to alter the physiological component of ligamentous structures during the three phases of the cycle. Use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) may influence the incidence and severity of ligamentous knee injuries in female athletes. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the relationship between HC use and the type and severity of ligamentous knee injuries sustained among female collegiate athletes using an online survey distributed to NCAA female athletes …

Effects Of Blood Flow Restriction Training On Healthy Individuals Using The (B)Strong Training System: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Mallory Rockhill

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine and compare muscular fitness and subjective muscle pain between blood flow restriction (BFR) training using the (B)Strong Training System and traditional resistance training program after a 7-week intervention. Thirty-one healthy male and female young adults volunteered to participate. Participants were randomly selected into three groups: HIRES (high intensity resistance training), LIBFR (low intensity blood flow restriction training) or CON (control). All participants refrained from structured activity outside of this study for the duration of the entire study. Anthropometrics, body composition, muscular strength and endurance were measured prior to and post training. Delayed …

Effects Of A 2-Week Exercise Intervention On Heart Rate Variability In Individuals With Low And High Anxiety Sensitivity, Hannah M. Kotarski

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety Sensitivity (AS), the belief that anxiety-related sensations may have harmful implications, can alter autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. Exercise has previously been shown to reduce AS; however, the effects of an exercise intervention on heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of ANS function, has not been evaluated in individuals with high AS. This study sought to 1) compare resting HRV in individuals with either low (LAS) or high AS (HAS) and 2) evaluate the effects of a 2-week exercise intervention on HRV and AS. Using the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3), participants were identified as LAS (n=9; ASI-3=5.89±1.39) or HAS …

Eye Movement Control: An Index For Athleticism, Brittany L. Oshea

Theses and Dissertations

Athletic potential is one of the most complex human traits. An elite athlete is produced from a complex interaction of an innumerable number of traits exhibited by the athlete. However, it’s not clear whether these traits are innate, allowing the athlete to excel, or, alternatively, are a consequence of practice. To be successful, athletes rely heavily on sensory information from the visual and vestibular systems. This study investigated the relationship eye movement control has with innate athleticism by comparing the saccadic and Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) responses of former, no longer practicing, elite athletes against their age and gender matched counterparts …

The Lived Experiences Of Academic Advisors With Counseling Degrees In Addressing Wellness With College Student-Athletes, Jennifer M. Gerlach

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of academic advisors who have master’s degrees in counseling in addressing wellness with college student-athletes. Of particular note was to explore if they addressed wellness and, if so, how they addressed wellness. Extant literature is replete with evidence documenting the numerous challenges and stressors student-athletes experience due to their athlete status. Prior to this study, the role of the academic advisor in addressing wellness has not been represented in the literature. This study examined the lived experiences of 10 academic advisors with counseling degrees, or currently enrolled …

Elementary Educators' Perspective Of Physical Education And The Physical Education Teacher, Jennifer M. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

Physical education continues to have the reputation it has had for years of being a subject of marginalization and of least importance in the school curriculum. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of educators of physical education and the physical education teacher in the Rio Grande Valley. The researcher attempts to find, understand, and describe the perceptions of the educator’s view of this subject matter. Statistical significance was set at the .05 level for both tests of analyses. The researcher offers the null hypothesis of no difference between educator’s perception of PE …

Practice, Morgan T. Babic

Theses and Dissertations

Past training as an athlete has driven me to reach for the unattainable goal of flawlessness. This mentality, which I apply to jewelry making, has led me to recreate the intricate angles of the athletic body and the beauty of its movements. I use gymnastics imagery within my work as a tool to communicate how we learn and understand through practice and repetition. With shifted lines, skewed shapes and geometric wirework, the jewelry tumbles over the architecture of the wearer’s body. The repetitive metal forms come together to simulate movement and enhance the physical language that a body in motion …

In-Shoe Plantar Pressure System To Investigate Ground Reaction Force Using Android Platform, Ahmed A. Mostfa

Theses and Dissertations

Human footwear is not yet designed to optimally relieve pressure on the heel of the foot. Proper foot pressure assessment requires personal training and measurements by specialized machinery. This research aims to investigate and hypothesize about Preferred Transition Speed (PTS) and to classify the gait phase of explicit variances in walking patterns between different subjects. An in-shoe wearable pressure system using Android application was developed to investigate walking patterns and collect data on Activities of Daily Living (ADL). In-shoe circuitry used Flexi-Force A201 sensors placed at three major areas: heel contact, 1st metatarsal, and 5th metatarsal with a PIC16F688 microcontroller …

Examination Of Lower Extremity Mechanics During Three Landing Tasks And Injury Prediction Ability Of Those Models As Compared To A Functional Test, Timothy G. Coffey

Theses and Dissertations

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are one of the most common knee ligament injuries suffered by both male and female athletes. These injuries are severe in nature and also have long-term impacts on activities of daily living. Significant research has been conducted utilizing a drop landing task to attempt to better understand the mechanics behind the injury and to help identify at-risk athletes for targeted intervention. However, there have not been any published standards for the height of the drop landing activity, and previous researchers have also raised some concerns about the ability of a drop landing task to replicate …

The Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Mass And Mitochondrial Biogenesis By Gp130/Stat3 Signaling During Cancer Cachexia, Melissa Puppa

Theses and Dissertations

Cachexia affects nearly 70% of all cancer patients depending on the cancer, and decreases cancer survival. Cachexia is associated with muscle mass loss that is accompanied by a loss in muscle oxidative capacity, a decrease in protein synthesis and an increase in protein degradation. While progress has been made in understanding some of the mechanisms underlying the cachectic condition, there are currently no approved pharmaceutical interventions to slow or stop cachexia progression. The purpose this study was to determine the role of skeletal muscle gp130 and STAT3 signaling in the regulation of cachexia induced muscle atrophy and mitochondrial loss. Specific …

Comparison Of Two Different Sprint Interval Training Work-To-Rest Ratios On Acute Metabolic And Inflammatory Responses, Christopher R. Harnish

Theses and Dissertations

High intensity exercise is believed to yield greater results on health and human performance than moderate intensity exercise. Extensive research indicates that not only do high-intensity interval training (HIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) produce significant improvements in cardiovascular fitness and disease, they may be more effective at improving long-term metabolic function, including insulin sensitivity (Si), by producing more mitochondria. Moreover, compliance rates for HIT and SIT participation are reported to be the same or better than traditional moderate intensity exercise. Because lack of time is often cited as major hindrance to exercise participation, SIT is also seen as a …

The Effect Of Radiation On Myofiber Properties In Mouse Skeletal Muscle, Dennis K. Fix

Theses and Dissertations

Radiotherapy has been proven as an effective and necessary treatment for cancer. The dose given is dependent on cancer type and location. It has been previously established that skeletal muscle is the most radiation tolerant tissue in the body. With that being said there is a current gap in the literature that is missing the effect of radiation doses on the histological properties of skeletal muscle. The overall purpose of this study is to determine the effect that a single unfractionated dose of 16Gy radiation has on histological properties of myofibers when compared to 4 fractionated doses of 4Gy . …

A Study Of The Opinions Of Lds Athletes Concerning Excellence In Gospel Living Contributing To Excellence In Sports, Robert L. Cummings

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to show by the use of the opinions of LDS athletes who have excelled in sports whether or not excellence in gospel living contributes to excellence in sports.

Religion has played a role in sports from very early history and has continued to the present time. The degree of religious influence has been determined by the society of the time, whether it played a minor or a positive role.

The results of the study pointed out the following:
The teachings of the LDS Church had a positive influence, according to LDS athletes, on the …