Search results for "Locomotion"
showing 10 items of 201 documents
The assessment of functional ability in patients with Parkinson's disease: the PLM-test and three clinical tests.
1997
This study assesses functional ability of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients by means of an objective movement analysis (the PLM-test) and three clinical tests. The correlation between the tests was also studied. The main object of this study was to detect and measure relevant disabilities in Parkinson's disease to obtain a clinical test battery.
Intra-individual gait patterns across different time-scales as revealed by means of a supervised learning model using kernel-based discriminant regre…
2017
Objective Traditionally, gait analysis has been centered on the idea of average behavior and normality. On one hand, clinical diagnoses and therapeutic interventions typically assume that average gait patterns remain constant over time. On the other hand, it is well known that all our movements are accompanied by a certain amount of variability, which does not allow us to make two identical steps. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the intra-individual gait patterns across different time-scales (i.e., tens-of-mins, tens-of-hours). Methods Nine healthy subjects performed 15 gait trials at a self-selected speed on 6 sessions within one day (duration between two subsequent ses…
Time and frequency analysis of the static balance in young adults with Down syndrome
2010
The main objective of this study is to understand the differences in equilibrium control between normal subjects and those with Down syndrome. A total of 54 subjects participated voluntarily, divided into control group and Down syndrome group. The equilibrium of the subjects was tested under two conditions: bipedal support with eyes open and closed. The signals were analyzed in a time and frequency domain. The statistical parameters selected (i.e., RMS distance, mean velocity, mean frequency and sway area) to analyze the behavior of the center of pressures (CoP) are calculated employing the result of the combination of the time series data in both directions (i.e. resultant distance). In or…
Biomechanical loading in the triple jump
2000
The triple jump is a demanding field event in which a jumper must tolerate extremely high impact forces while maintaining high horizontal speed. The present study was designed to clarify the mechanical loading characteristics and the role of neuromuscular function in the triple jump. Seven national triple jumpers (4 males, 3 females) volunteered to perform 3-6 jumps. The mean best performances were 14.32+/-0.45 m and 11.90+/-0.28 m for males and females, respectively. The three longest triple jumps for each jumper were selected for final analysis. The mean contact times were 0.139 s (hop), 0.157 s (step) and 0.177 s (jump). The largest ground reaction forces were observed in the step (15.2 …
Influence of stretch-shortening cycle on mechanical behaviour of triceps surae during hopping.
1992
Six subjects performed a first series of vertical plantar flexions and a second series of vertical rebounds, both involving muscle triceps surae exclusively. Vertical displacements, vertical forces and ankle angles were recorded during the entire work period of 60 seconds per series. In addition, expired gases were collected during the test and recovery for determination of the energy expenditure. Triceps surae was mechanically modelled with a contractile component and with an elastic component. Mechanical behaviour and work of the different muscle components were determined in both series. The net muscular efficiency calculated from the work performed by the centre of gravity was 17.5 +/- …
Analyzing gastrocnemius EMG-activity and sway data from quiet and perturbed standing.
2007
In an experiment, we combined force plate measurements and surface EMG in studying quiet and perturbed standing, involving MS (Multiple sclerosis) and controls. The aim of this paper is to report the results thus obtained on the relation between filtered gastrocnemius (GA) EMG and the anterior-posterior center-of-pressure (A/P COP) coordinate. The main finding is the good correspondence between A/P COP and the filtered GA EMG in the low frequency range. The EMG envelope was calculated using a zero-lag filter. Combining this with time shifts around 250-350 ms produced a high correlation (85.5+/-8.4%) between the GA-EMG envelope and the A/P COP. This EMG-COP relation was closest when using a …
Treadmill versus overground and barefoot versus shod comparisons of triceps surae fascicle behaviour in human walking and running
2013
Studies of human locomotion are commonly performed on a treadmill or overground, as well as with or without footwear. These testing modalities have been suggested to influence kinematics, kinetics and/or spatio-temporal variables differently. However, it is unclear whether they influence contractile behaviour at the level of the muscle fascicles. This has major relevance because results from studies performed with different combinations of the testing modalities are often compared. The present study used ultrasound to examine fascicle behaviour of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) and soleus muscles of ten young, healthy males during walking and running on a treadmill and overground, as well as…
A comparison of the cheater detection and the unrelated question models: a randomized response survey on physical and cognitive doping in recreationa…
2016
PURPOSE:This study assessed the prevalence of physical and cognitive doping in recreational triathletes with two different randomized response models, that is, the Cheater Detection Model (CDM) and the Unrelated Question Model (UQM). Since both models have been employed in assessing doping, the major objective of this study was to investigate whether the estimates of these two models converge. MATERIAL AND METHODS:An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 2,967 athletes at two triathlon events (Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, Germany). Doping behavior was assessed either with the CDM (Frankfurt sample, one Wiesbaden subsample) or the UQM (one Wiesbaden subsample). A generalized likelihood-rati…
The role of the stretch reflex in the gastrocnemius muscle during human locomotion at various speeds
2007
In the present study, the fascicle length ( Lfa) of the human medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle was monitored to evaluate possible input from the short-latency stretch reflex (SLR) during the stance phase of running and to examine its timing at various running speeds. Eight subjects ran at 2.0, 3.5, 5.0, and 6.5 m/s. The Lfa was measured with the high-speed ultrasound fascicle scanning together with kinematics and myoelectrical activities. The amplitudes and onset latency of SLR activities were determined. During ground contact, the sudden MG fascicle stretch occurred during the early contact at all running speeds. This was followed by the fascicle shortening. The timing of fascicle stretch…
Neck Muscle Vibration and Spatial Orientation During Stepping in Place in Humans
2002
Unilateral long-lasting vibration was applied to the sternomastoid muscle to assess the influence of asymmetric neck proprioceptive input on body orientation during stepping-in-place. Blindfolded subjects performed 3 sequences of 3 trials, each lasting 60 s: control, vibration applied during stepping (VDS), and vibration applied before stepping (VBS). VDS caused clear-cut whole body rotation toward the side opposite to vibration. The body rotated around a vertical axis placed at about arm's length from the body. The rotation did not begin immediately on switching on the vibrator. The delay varied from subject to subject from a few seconds to about 10 s. Once initiated, the angular velocity…