Terms Of Spatiotemporal Parameters Research Articles

Inter-Segmental Coordination of the Swimming Start among Paralympic Swimmers: A Comparative Study between S9, S10, and S12 Swimmers

The swimming start, which involves interactions with both water and air, has predominantly been studied primarily in terms of spatio-temporal parameters, while its motor control aspects have received limited attention. This study aims to investigate and compare the coordination patterns between the arm and trunk, as well as the thigh and trunk, in S9, S10, and S12 Paralympic swimmers using the continuous relative phase. The study included twenty-one Paralympic swimmers, and the results showed significant differences (p < 0.05) from spm1d (ANOVA) in both arm-trunk and thigh-trunk CRP among the three classes of swimmers. Significant differences were observed in the arm-trunk CRP during the initial (0–8% of time) and end (30–41% of time) parts of the block phase. Both of these two differences are from the comparison of S10 and S12. The thigh-trunk CRP also showed significant differences at the end of the block phase (35–41% of time) and during the flight phase before entry (58–61% of time). Significant differences were observed in post hoc tests between S9 and S10 and between S12 and S10 for the first significant difference. The second significant difference was found between S12 and S10. The results indicate that Paralympic swimmers classified as S9, S10, and S12 tend to exhibit distinct inter-segmental coordination patterns during the dive start. By recognizing different patterns of motor coordination, coaches and trainers can develop individualized training methods to optimize the start performance for swimmers with different impairments (different classifications) and maximize their competitive potential.

Cyclograms Reveal Alteration of Inter-Joint Coordination during Gait in People with Multiple Sclerosis Minimally Disabled

Subtle alterations of gait patterns in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) with minimal or no disability often coexist with normal spatio-temporal parameters. Here, we retrospectively investigate the existence of possible anomalies in lower limb inter-joint coordination (i.e., the functional relationship between joint pairs) in pwMS with apparently physiologic gait features. Twenty-seven pwMS with Expanded Disability Status Scale scores ≤ 2, and 27 unaffected age-and-sex-matched individuals, were tested using 3D computerized gait analysis. Raw data were processed to extract the main spatio-temporal parameters and the kinematics in the sagittal plane at the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Angle-angle diagrams (cyclograms) were obtained by coupling the flexion-extension values for the hip-knee and knee-ankle joint pairs at each point of the gait cycle. Cyclogram area, perimeter, and dimensionless ratio were employed to quantify inter-joint coordination. The results demonstrate that cyclograms of pwMS are characterized by significantly reduced perimeters for both investigated joint pairs and reduced area at the hip–knee joint pair. In the latter pair, the differences between groups involved the entire swing phase. For the knee-ankle pair, the average cyclogram of pwMS departed from normality from the late stance until the mid-swing phase. Such findings suggest that inter-joint coordination is impaired even in minimally disabled pwMS who exhibit a normal gait pattern in terms of spatio-temporal parameters. The quantitative and qualitative study of cyclogram features may provide information that is useful for better understanding the underlying mechanisms of walking dysfunctions in MS.

Comparison of Spatio-Temporal Parameter and Symmetry during Gait between Healthy Elderly and Young People

Background Previous studies have examined the gait patterns of healthy elderly people who are able to walk without musculoskeletal pain, but results have been conflicting. Systemic diseases such as diabetes, depression, and hypertension, as well as musculoskeletal system dysfunction, can induce gait deterioration. Purpose The purpose of the current study was to compare velocity, cadence, step width, stride length, center of pressure (COP) and symmetry between healthy young and elderly people who had not been diagnosed with depression, hypertension, dementia, diabetes, or osteoarthritis. Study design Cross-sectional study Methods Twenty-four healthy elderly and twenty healthy young people participated in this study. A force distribution plate was used to obtain data on spatiotemporal parameters, COP, and gait symmetry. The groups were compared using independent <italic>t</italic>-tests. Results There was no significant difference in walking velocity, step width, stride length, symmetry of step length, foot rotation, length of gait, single support line, or lateral symmetry between the elderly and young groups (<italic>p</italic>&gt;0.05). However, the elderly group showed higher cadence and larger anterior–posterior sway than the young group (mean difference=8.98 steps/min, <italic>p</italic>&lt;0.01; and mean difference=5.88 mm, <italic>p</italic>=0.04, respectively). Conclusions The gait patterns of healthy elderly people without depression, hypertension, dementia, diabetes, or musculoskeletal were similar in terms of spatiotemporal parameters and symmetry to those of healthy young people, except for cadence and anterior–posterior sway. Based on these findings, clinicians should inform elderly people about the importance of maintaining fitness to prevent deterioration of gait.

Changes in symmetry during gait in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome

Most studies on locomotion of individuals with the Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) have been performed in a laboratory setting using quantitative motion analysis. Recently, wireless inertial sensors have been successfully employed for gait analysis in different pathological states with the advantages of reproducing a testing condition very close to those encountered in daily living. Using such devices, it is possible not only to characterize the conventional spatio-temporal parameters, but also extract information on further less conventional metrics, such as the harmonic ratio (HR), a measure of step-to-step symmetry based on trunk acceleration processing. In the present study, this technique was used to quantify gait parameters during level walking in 20 adults with PWS who were compared to 20 unaffected individuals. While no differences between the two groups were found in terms of spatio-temporal parameters, individuals with PWS exhibited significantly reduced values of HR in the antero-posterior and vertical directions. Such results, which indicate a poorer gait symmetry in PWS, suggest that upper body accelerations, as well as HR, provide novel information on gait in people with PWS that could not be extracted from spatio-temporal parameters only.

Similarities and Differences of Gait Patterns in Women and Men With Parkinson Disease With Mild Disability

ObjectiveThis study aimed to quantitatively investigate the existence of differences in spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters of gait in men and women with Parkinson disease (PD) using computerized 3-dimensional gait analysis. DesignRetrospective cohort study. SettingLaboratory of Biomechanics. ParticipantsIndividuals with PD (N=35; 17 female, 18 male) of mean age 70.7 years characterized by mild disability (Hoehn and Yahr ≤2.5) who were tested in On medication state approximately 60 to 90 minutes after intake of the usual morning Levodopa dose. InterventionNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresSpatiotemporal parameters of gait (speed, stride length, cadence, step width, duration of stance, swing, double support phases) and kinematics of hip, knee, and ankle joints in the sagittal plane. ResultsMen and women exhibit similar spatiotemporal parameters, except for step width (wider in men). In contrast, relevant differences were found in terms of ankle kinematics. In particular, women presented increased ankle dorsiflexion through all the stance phase and mid to late swing phase, and reduced plantarflexion at the stance-swing phase transition. ConclusionsGait patterns of men and women with PD with mild disability are similar in terms of spatiotemporal parameters but characterized by marked differences regarding the ankle kinematics on the sagittal plane. The findings of the present study support the concept that investigations seeking to clarify the complex pathophysiology of PD-related gait disturbances should consider the role played by an individual's sex, thereby achieving more effective designing of physical and rehabilitative treatments.

Characterization of lower-limbs inter-segment coordination during the take-off extension in ski jumping

Take-off, the most important phase in ski jumping, has been primarily studied in terms of spatio-temporal parameters; little is known about its motor control aspects. This study aims to assess the inter-segment coordination of the shank-thigh and thigh-sacrum pairs using the continuous relative phase (CRP). In total 87 jumps were recorded from 33 athletes with an inertial sensor-based system. The CRP curves indicated that the thighs lead the shanks during the first part of take-off extension and that the shanks rotated faster at the take-off extension end. The thighs and sacrum first rotated synchronously, with the sacrum then taking lead, with finally the thighs rotating faster. Five characteristic features were extracted from the CRP and their relationship with jump length was tested. Three features of the shank-thigh pair and one of the thigh-sacrum pair reported a significant association with jump length. It was observed that athletes who achieved longer jumps had their thighs leading their shanks during a longer time, with these athletes also having a more symmetric movement between thighs and sacrum. This study shows that inter-segment coordination during the take-off extension is related to performance and further studies are necessary to contrast its importance with other ski jumping aspects.

Functional asymmetries in the stepping response of the human newborn: a kinematic approach

In order to investigate subtle expressions of functional asymmetries in newborn leg movements, kinematic registrations were made on a sample of 40 healthy fullterm newborn infants during performance of the stepping response. Time-position data were collected from markers attached to the hip, knee and ankle joints of the left and right leg, and movements of both legs recorded simultaneously. Findings included evident side differences in terms of smoother trajectories of the right leg as a consequence of less movement segmentation compared to the left leg. Additionally, analyses of intralimb coordination revealed side differences with regard to stronger ankle-knee couplings and smaller phase shifts in the right leg. The findings suggest that asymmetries in newborn stepping responses are present in terms of spatio-temporal parameters and intralimb coordination. No evidence of a lateral preference in terms of frequency of the first foot moved was found. The present study adds new understanding to the lateralized attributes of the stepping response in the human newborn and as such points to new directions of research on the nature of laterality in the future.