Walking with a Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Musculoskeletal Model Study.

The understanding of the changes induced in the knee's kinematics by a Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) injury is still rather incomplete. This computational study aimed to analyze how the internal loads are redistributed among the remaining ligaments when the PCL is lesioned at different degrees and to understand if there is a possibility to compensate for a PCL lesion by changing the hamstring's contraction in the second half of the swing phase. A musculoskeletal model of the knee joint was used for simulating a progressive PCL injury by gradually reducing the ligament stiffness.

Cervical Range of Motion Assessment through Inertial Technology: A Validity and Reliability Study.

Inertial technology has spread widely for its comfortable use and adaptability to various motor tasks. The main objective of this study was to assess the validity of inertial measurements of the cervical spine range of motion (CROM) when compared to that of the optoelectronic system in a group of healthy individuals. A further aim of this study was to determine the optimal placement of the inertial sensor in terms of reliability of the measure, comparing measurements obtained from the same device placed at the second cervical vertebra (C2), the forehead (F) and the external occipital protuberance (EOP).

Forward and Backward Walking: Multifactorial Characterization of Gait Parameters.

Although extensive literature exists on forward and backward walking, a comprehensive assessment of gait parameters on a wide and homogenous population is missing. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyse the differences between the two gait typologies on a relatively large sample. Twenty-four healthy young adults participated in this study.

The Simultaneous Assessment of Time and Motion Response during Dual Tasks.

Measurement of reaction time in clinical settings is generally employed to assess cognitive abilities by having a subject perform standard simple tests. In this study, a new method of measuring response time (RT) was developed using a system composed of LEDs that emit light stimuli and are equipped with proximity sensors. The RT is measured as the time taken by the subject to turn off the LED target by moving the hand towards the sensor.

Effect of Obesity on Knee and Ankle Biomechanics during Walking.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to quantify the three-dimensional knee and ankle joint kinematics and kinetics during walking in young participants with different degrees of obesity and to identify the associated effects by stratifying the obese participants according to their BMI. Thirty-two young obese individuals (mean age 30.32 years) and 16 normal-weight age-matched individuals were tested using 3D gait analysis.