Biomechanical Analysis Of Movement Research Articles

Relation Between Sophisticated Measurements and Biomechanics Teaching

The purpose of this study is to devise a procedure that would enable the students to work with the biomechanical systems and to assemble online experimental data. This project encompasses the basic areas of biomechanical movement analysis – locomotion (gait), posturography, vertical jump. Simple worksheets were created for importing the measured data. Active participation of the students in practical teaching was met with positive response. It was concluded that such approach to the teaching helps students to work with scientific data and enables them to have a better understanding of the theoretical background and the principles of devices’ functions.

Aplicacions de l’electromiografia de superfície a l’esport

The electrophysiological techniques (neurography and needle electromyography) allow us an approach to the knowledge of the neuromuscular function. Electromyography obtains the electrical activity from the muscle in rest or in contraction (maximum and static voluntary contraction) In its clinical application, electromyography helps to the diagnosis and follow-up of a process of neuromuscular type. On the other hand, kinesiological or surface electromyography (SEMG) allows the study of the muscular activity in dynamics, which we can apply to the biomechanical movement analysis, gait analysis, studies of muscular fatigue, sport performance| and applications in work medicine and ergonomics. SEMG brings advantages like the fact that is a bloodless test, of being able to analyze varying muscles at the same time, in motion and in actions of non limited duration. The processed one brings us parameters of amplitude and frequencies, which we will use for descriptive and comparative studies. As a balancing entry, it does not allow us to study deep musculature, and some aspects of definition are lost in the obtained outlines.

Estimating subject-specific body segment parameters using a 3-dimensional modeller program

The estimation of body segment properties is important in the biomechanical analysis of movement. Current subject-specific estimation methods however can be expensive and time-consuming, while other methods do not adequately take into account individual or group variability. We describe a simple procedure for estimating subject-specific geometric properties, independent of joint centres. The method requires only a small number of anthropometric measurements and digital images of the segment or subject, a 3-dimensional modeller program and simple mathematical calculations to estimate segment volumes and centroids. Assuming that the segment is of uniform density, it's mass and moment of inertia can also be derived. Future work should include generating segment density profiles for particular populations, to increase the accuracy of the method, and comparing the accuracy of the results obtained with those produced by other techniques.

Using Biomechanics to Explore Children’s Movement

Biomechanics is a discipline that studies the motion and effect of forces on biological systems such as the human body. It is an area that has wide application for use in the exploration of movement across multiple venues including sport, rehabilitation, and growth and development. The vast majority of applications has been with the adult population. However, the application of biomechanical principles to the study of movement of children is being used with greater frequency, as researchers and practitioners expect a more exact determination of movement characteristics than previously provided by visual observation only. This paper will explore the role of biomechanics in the examination of children’s movement and provide a review of the various approaches that have been applied to the study of motion characteristics in children. Biomechanical applications have proven to be very useful in a variety of areas where the quantification of movement is important. In orthopedics, for example, surgical procedures are applied that influence the mechanics of the joint. This can be illustrated by looking at orthopedic management of the child with cerebral palsy where procedures are sometimes complex, involving multiple joints and planes of dysfunction. An evaluation of gait using combined information that includes biomechanical assessment can separate primary deformities from secondary compensations, allowing for a more precise solution and optimization of treatment (19). The use of biomechanical applications is valuable because it provides objective data that can be used to make diagnostic and rehabilitation decisions and in the development of new techniques or new rehabilitation procedures (20). In the growth and motor development area, biomechanical assessment has become a standard means of exploration. Early researchers in the motor development area collected a large volume of qualitative information on children’s movement, which provided a good base of descriptive data. These data were used to document the attainment of motor milestones, rather than quantifying specific components of the motion. Observational rating scales and motor proficiency batteries, used to assess the attainment of the milestones, are now being replaced by biomechanical analysis of movement about several joints. The information can

Biomechanical analysis of movement strategies in human forward trunk bending. II. Experimental study

The large mass of the human upper trunk, its elevated position during erect stance, and the small area limited by the size of the feet, stress the importance of equilibrium control during trunk movements. The objective of the present study was to perform a biomechanical analysis of fast forward trunk movements in order to understand the coordination between movement and posture. The analysis is based on a comparison between experimentally observed bending and hypothetical "optimal bending" performed on an infinitely narrow support, as presented in a companion paper. The experimental data were obtained from 16 subjects who performed fast forward bending while standing on a wide platform or on a narrow beam. The analysis is performed by decomposition of the movement into three dynamically independent components, each representing a movement along one of the three eigenvectors of the motion equation. The eigenmovements are termed "hip", "ankle", and "knee" eigenmovements, according to the dominant joint. The experimentally observed movement is characterized mainly by the hip and ankle eigenmovements, whereas the knee eigenmovement is negligible. Similarly to the "optimal bending" the ankle eigenmovement starts earlier and lasts longer than the hip eigenmovement. An early forward acceleration of the center of gravity in the ankle eigenmovement is caused by anticipatory changes in the ankle joint torque. This clarifies the role of the early tibialis anterior burst and/or soleus inhibition usually observed in electromyographic recordings during forward bending. The results suggest that the hip and the ankle eigenmovements can be treated as independently controlled motion units aimed at functionally different behavioral goals: the bending per se and postural adjustment. It is proposed that the central nervous system has to control these motion units sequentially in order to perform the movement and maintain equilibrium. It is also suggested that the hip and ankle eigenmovements can be regarded as a biomechanical background for the hip and ankle strategies introduced by Horak and Nashner (1986) on the basis of electromyographic recordings and kinematic patterns in response to postural perturbations.

Bernstein's Theory of Movement Behavior: Historical Development and Contemporary Relevance

In present-day movement science, N. A. Bernstein's formulation of the problems of motor control is often taken as the starting point. The reliance on Bernstein has not brought agreement among his followers, however. In this article, the authors pose the following question: Does the disagreement arise from the structure of his work itself or from incomplete exploitation of his thinking? By using, inter alia, Bernstein's 24 English and German articles, the authors present an analysis of the development of Bernstein's theory of movement behavior, against the backdrop of the scientific progress in the Soviet Union in Bernstein's time and the clashes between Soviet politics and science. Bernstein addressed in his early articles the measurement and biomechanical analysis of movements. His experimental data soon indicated the need for a new understanding of the organization of movements, which he formulated in terms of coordination. Because of political problems, his work was interrupted; but after being “rehabilitated” and again allowed to work. Bernstein aimed to explain how animals find and optimize the solutions to motor problems. The structure of the theory that ensued was comprehensive exactly by virtue of his repeatedly shifting focus between the different aspects of the organization of movement: More important than the answers he gave were the questions he asked. Moreover, the way he approached those questions may help scientists solve pressing problems in present-day movement science.

The Use of Gliding Cylclograms in the Biomechanical Analysis of Movements

After a brief review of the optical recording methods of movements, the use of gliding cyclograms in biomechanical analysis of work is discussed. The gliding cyclogram method consists in recording of sequent positions of the moving body segments on photographic film which is transported at a constant speed. The very short exposures are provided by a rotating slotted disk which is fixed in front of the lens of the cyclograph. Examples of hammer stroke investigations and study of its efficiency, determination of optimum height for wood splitting block and an activity analysis of flax scutcher are given.