Does lateral banking and radius affect well-trained sprinters and team-sports players during bend sprinting?

This study investigated the short-term responses of step characteristics in sprinters and team-sports players under different bend conditions. Eight participants from each group completed 80 m sprints in four conditions: banked and flat, in lanes two and four (L2B, L4B, L2F, L4F). Groups showed similar changes in step velocity (SV) across conditions and limbs.

Angular dynamics in vector coding: a new approach based on angular velocity.

The assessment of coordination variability in multi-joint human movements has traditionally started from angle-angle representations, and then used the angle change between subsequent time points as input for further analysis through vector coding. We propose an improvement to this approach, and suggest employing angular velocities as input data (Velocity Ellipse Method, VEM). We used experimental data and theoretical principles to contrast VEM with an existing standard (Difference Ellipse Method) and discuss its advantages and potential issues.

Task Specific and General Patterns of Joint Motion Variability in Upright- and Hand-Standing Postures.

The preservation of static balance in both upright- and hand-stance is maintained by the projection of center of mass (CM) motion within the region of stability at the respective base of support. This study investigated, from a degrees of freedom (DF) perspective, whether the stability of the CM in both upright- and hand-stances was predicted by the respective dispersion and time-dependent regularity of joint (upright stance-ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, neck; hand stance-wrist, elbow, shoulder, neck) angle and position. Full body three-dimensional (3D) kinematic data were collected on 10 advanced level junior female gymnasts during 30 s floor upright- and hand-stands.

"We are not hard to reach, but we may find it hard to trust" …. Involving and engaging 'seldom listened to' community voices in clinical translational health research: a social innovation approach.

Background: Public involvement in clinical translational research is increasingly recognised as essential for relevant and reliable research. Public involvement must be diverse and inclusive to enable research that has the potential to reach those that stand to benefit from it the most, and thus address issues of health equity. Several recent reports, however, indicate that public involvement is exclusive, including in its interactions with ethnic groups.

A biomechanical approach to evaluate overload and specificity characteristics within physical preparation exercises.

An essential component of any physical preparation programme is the selection of training exercises to facilitate desired performance outcomes, with practitioners balancing the principles of sports training to inform exercise selection. This study aimed to advance biomechanical understanding of the principles of overload and specificity within exercise selection, utilising novel joint kinetic and intra-limb joint coordination analyses. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data were obtained from six male sprinters (100 m PB, 10.

Innovating public engagement and patient involvement through strategic collaboration and practice.

Background: Patient and public involvement and engagement is an important and expected component of health-related research activity in the UK. Specifically within the health research sphere, public engagement (usually defined as raising awareness of research) and patient involvement (usually defined as actively involving people in research) have traditionally been seen as separate but have much to gain from working together towards a common goal of better health outcomes for all.

Methods: This paper describes a unique approach taken by the Public Programmes Team: a small interdisciplinary team of public engagement specialists, with backgrounds in science, community development, public engagement and involvement, policy, ethics, communications, industry, museums and creative practice, embedded within translational research infrastructure and delivery in Manchester in the North West of England.

Applying circular statistics can cause artefacts in the calculation of vector coding variability: A bivariate solution.

Background: Coordination variability is thought to provide meaningful insights into motor learning, skill level and injury prevention. Current analytical techniques, based on vector coding (VC) methods, use calculations from circular statistics. However a statistical artefact associated with the application of circular statistics may artificially increase the estimated coordination variability, especially when VC vectors are short.

A biomechanical comparison of initial sprint acceleration performance and technique in an elite athlete with cerebral palsy and able-bodied sprinters.

Cerebral palsy is known to generally limit range of motion and force producing capability during movement. It also limits sprint performance, but the exact mechanisms underpinning this are not well known. One elite male T36 multiple-Paralympic sprint medallist (T36) and 16 well-trained able-bodied (AB) sprinters each performed 5-6 maximal sprints from starting blocks.

Joint kinetic determinants of starting block performance in athletic sprinting.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between lower limb joint kinetics, external force production and starting block performance (normalised average horizontal power, NAHP). Seventeen male sprinters (100 m PB, 10.67 ± 0.

The Effect of Clinical Pilates on Functional Movement in Recreational Runners.

Biomechanical imbalances and inefficient functional movements are considered contributing factors to running-related injuries. Clinical Pilates uses a series of exercises focused on retraining normal movement patterns. This study investigated whether a 6-week course of Clinical Pilates improves functional movement and thereby, potentially, reduces the risk of running-related injuries associated with movement dysfunction.

The Effect of Age on Technique Variability and Outcome Variability during a Leg Press.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of aging on power generation and joint coordination during a leg press, in order to increase understanding of how functional movements are affected during the aging process. 44 older and 24 younger adults performed eight sub-maximal power repetitions on a seated leg press dynamometer. Peak power and velocity (at 40% maximum resistance) were measured along with the coordination (coupling angle) of the lower limb joints using the vector coding technique.

Lower limb joint kinetics in the starting blocks and first stance in athletic sprinting.

The aim of this study was to examine lower limb joint kinetics during the block and first stance phases in athletic sprinting. Ten male sprinters (100 m PB, 10.50 ± 0.

Exercise strategies to protect against the impact of short-term reduced physical activity on muscle function and markers of health in older men: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Muscles get smaller and weaker as we age and become more vulnerable to atrophy when physical activity is reduced or removed. This research is designed to investigate the potentially protective effects of two separate exercise strategies against loss in skeletal muscle function and size, and other key indices of health, following 14 days of reduced physical activity in older men.

Methods: Three groups of 10 older men (aged 65-80 years) will undertake 2 weeks of reduced activity by decreasing daily steps from more than 3500 to less than 1500 (using pedometers to record step count).

Can RSScan footscan(®) D3D™ software predict injury in a military population following plantar pressure assessment? A prospective cohort study.

Background: Injury in initial military training is common with incidences from 25 to 65% of recruits sustaining musculoskeletal injury. Risk factors for injury include extrinsic factors such as rapid onset of high volume training, but intrinsic factors such as lower limb biomechanics and foot type. Prediction of injury would allow more effective training delivery, reduce manpower wastage and improve duty of care to individuals by addressing potential interventions.

Movement variability and skills monitoring in sports.

The aim of this paper was to present a review on the role that movement variability (MV) plays in the analysis of sports movement and in the monitoring of the athlete's skills. MV has been traditionally considered an unwanted noise to be reduced, but recent studies have re-evaluated its role and have tried to understand whether it may contain important information about the neuro-musculo-skeletal organisation. Issues concerning both views of MV, different approaches for analysing it and future perspectives are discussed.

Intra-limb coordinative adaptations in cycling.

This study aimed to establish the nature of lower extremity intra-limb coordination variability in cycling and to investigate the coordinative adaptations that occur in response to changes in cadence and work rate. Six trained and six untrained males performed nine pedalling bouts on a cycle ergometer at various cadences and work rates (60, 90, and 120 revolutions per minute (rpm) at 120, 210, and 300W). Three-dimensional kinematic data were collected and flexion/extension angles of the ankle, knee, and hip joints were subsequently calculated.

The effects of initial conditions and takeoff technique on running jumps for height and distance.

This study used a subject-specific model with eight segments driven by joint torques for forward dynamics simulation to investigate the effects of initial conditions and takeoff technique on the performance of running jumps for height and distance. The torque activation profiles were varied in order to obtain matching simulations for two jumping performances (one for height and one for distance) by an elite male high jumper, resulting in a simulated peak height of 1.98m and a simulated horizontal distance of 4.

Foot orthoses in the prevention of injury in initial military training: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Overuse lower limb injury is common in incidence and morbidity. Many risk factors, gait related and biomechanical, have been identified, although little conclusive evidence has been found in terms of injury prevention to date.

Hypothesis: Orthoses, as produced by proprietary software interpretation of plantar pressures, are able to reduce injury rates in an "at risk" military population.

Intralimb joint coordination patterns of the lower extremity in maximal velocity phase sprint running.

This study aimed to develop insight into the lower extremity joint coupling motions used in the maximal velocity phase of sprint running. Two-dimensional coordinate data were used to derive sagittal plane joint angle profiles of sprint running trials. Intralimb joint coupling motions were examined using a continuous relative phase (CRP) analysis.

An image-based approach to obtaining anthropometric measurements for inertia modeling.

This study aimed to develop and evaluate an image-based method of obtaining anthropometric measurements for accurate subject-specific inertia parameter determination using Yeadon's (1990) inertia model. Ninety-five anthropometric measurements were obtained directly from five athletic performers and indirectly from digitization of subject-specific whole-body still images. The direct and image-based measurements were used as input into Yeadon's (1990) inertia model.

Determinants of time to fatigue during nonmotorized treadmill exercise.

Treadmill exercise is commonly used for aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. During nonmotorized treadmill exercise, the subject must provide the power necessary to drive the treadmill belt. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors affected the time to fatigue on a pair of nonmotorized treadmills.

Movement coordination patterns in triple jump training drills.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of training drills in replicating the lower extremity coordination patterns used during the triple jump. Three-dimensional kinematic data and synchronized ground reaction force data were collected during the hop-step transition of a triple jump and four related training drills. Relative motion plots and a modified version of the vector coding technique were used to quantify the coordination patterns of the lower extremities.

A kinematic analysis of rugby lineout throwing.

To characterize rugby union lineout throwing technique, three experienced male rugby players performed throwing trials under varying conditions of distance and trajectory. Motion analysis permitted the recovery of joint centre coordinates at 120 Hz and the construction of a three-dimensional linked segment model for calculation of joint angle and centre of mass time histories. All participants exhibited greater accuracy at shorter throwing distances, although the accuracy decrement was less in players of higher standard.

Coordination variability and skill development in expert triple jumpers.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of skill of expert triple jumpers on the coordination variability of lower extremity intra-limb couplings. In contrast to the traditional motor learning perspective, we hypothesized that as skill and thus performance increases, movement coordination variability will also increase. Three-dimensional kinematic and ground reaction force data were collected during the hop-step transition phase of the triple jump.