Peak impact accelerations during track and treadmill running.

To determine whether peak vertical and horizontal impact accelerations were different while running on a track or on a treadmill, 12 healthy subjects (average age 32.8 ± 9.8 y), were fitted with a novel, wireless accelerometer capable of recording triaxial acceleration over time.

Comparison of two commercial patellofemoral prostheses by means of computational modeling.

There are many patellofemoral prostheses designs available for patellofemoral resurfacing, but few studies provide results objectively comparing these designs. In this study two designs are compared on the basis of patella kinematics and patellofemoral kinetics by means of a computational technique. Results indicated that the patellae displaced laterally after trochlear engagement, while tilt patterns were irregular between volunteers.

A preliminary study of patellar tendon torques during jumping.

The etiology of patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee) has been attributed to a significant increase in patellar tendon torques associated with jumping. While some investigators have suggested that patellar tendon torques are greater during takeoff, little is known about the relative magnitudes of patellar tendon torques during takeoff and landing. We hypothesized that peak patellar tendon torques are greater in jump takeoff than in landing, and that there is a linear correlation between jump height and peak patellar tendon torque.

The correlation of segment accelerations and impact forces with knee angle in jump landing.

Impact forces and shock deceleration during jumping and running have been associated with various knee injury etiologies. This study investigates the influence of jump height and knee contact angle on peak ground reaction force and segment axial accelerations. Ground reaction force, segment axial acceleration, and knee angles were measured for 6 male subjects during vertical jumping.

Correlation between ground reaction force and tibial acceleration in vertical jumping.

Modern electronics allow for the unobtrusive measurement of accelerations outside the laboratory using wireless sensor nodes. The ability to accurately measure joint accelerations under unrestricted conditions, and to correlate them with jump height and landing force, could provide important data to better understand joint mechanics subject to real-life conditions. This study investigates the correlation between peak vertical ground reaction forces, as measured by a force plate, and tibial axial accelerations during free vertical jumping.

A sub-microwatt piezo-floating-gate sensor for long-term fatigue monitoring in biomechanical implants.

In this paper we describe an implementation of a novel fatigue monitoring sensor based on integration of piezoelectric transduction with floating gate avalanche injection. The miniaturized sensor enables continuous battery-less monitoring and time-to-failure predictions of biomechanical implants. Measured results from a fabricated prototype in a 0.