An examination of undergraduate research in the field of biomechanics across multiple US-based institutions.

Undergraduate research is commonly performed in many STEM disciplines and has a wide array of benefits for students, laboratories, principal investigators, and institutions. While many fields have assessed best practices and the cost-benefit analysis of incorporating undergraduates in research, this has not yet been addressed in biomechanics. This paper represents the perspectives of seven members of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) Teaching Biomechanics Interest Group (TBIG).

Characterizing impact and providing perspective by assessing National Biomechanics Day events.

In this Perspective article we make the case for assessing National Biomechanics Day in order to better understand and maximum its impact. We present the opportunities and benefits that exist to assess National Biomechanics Day, as well as suggest assessment resources and tools that can be utilized. A case study is also included that details the ways that including assessment via a pre- and post-National Biomechanics Day survey provided insight into how our event changed student perceptions related to biomechanics, as well as informed us about how we might improve our event in the future.

Quantifying national biomechanics day's impact on student perceptions toward biomechanics: A multisite pilot study.

National Biomechanics Day (NBD) is an international celebration of biomechanics that seeks to increase the awareness and appreciation of biomechanics among the high school community. Initial research supports the positive effects of NBD on students' attitudes toward the field of biomechanics; however, quantitative evidence remains scarce. The purpose of this study was to quantify changes in high school students' perceptions toward biomechanics after participating in NBD events to better understand the impact of NBD.

Impact of an ankle foot orthosis on reactive stepping in young adults.

Background: Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) have been shown to improve gait and static balance in individuals with lower extremity weakness and instability. However, the effects of AFOs on dynamic balance reactions including reactive stepping responses are not well known. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an AFO on reactive stepping responses in healthy young adults.

Measuring Vestibular Contributions to Age-Related Balance Impairment: A Review.

Aging is associated with progressive declines in both the vestibular and human balance systems. While vestibular lesions certainly contribute to imbalance, the specific contributions of age-related vestibular declines to age-related balance impairment is poorly understood. This gap in knowledge results from the absence of a standardized method for measuring age-related changes to the vestibular balance pathways.

A new perspective on transient characteristics of quiet stance postural control.

Postural control provides insight into health concerns such as fall risk but remains relatively untapped as a vital sign of health. One understudied aspect of postural control involves transient responses within center of pressure (CoP) data to events such as vision occlusion. Such responses are masked by common whole-trial analyses.

The patterning of local variability during the acquisition of a novel whole-body continuous motor skill in young adults.

There is increasing evidence that movement variability during motor skill acquisition plays a functional role. Specifically, initial variability might represent exploration of the possible motor space for solutions and error identification. Following practice, individuals might exploit a reduced amount of motor solutions to execute the task.

The effects of a positional feedback device on rollator walker use: a validation study.

Background: According to clinical guidelines, rolling walker users should walk with their feet between the posterior wheels of the walker; however approximately 50% of users do not.

Objective: To describe the development and effects of a custom device designed to attach to a walker and provide visual feedback to encourage improved user position.

Methods: Fourteen older adults participated in this study to validate the effects of this device when a 10% decrease in the users' habitual distance away from the walker was encouraged via feedback.

Identification of key outcome measures when using the instrumented timed up and go and/or posturography for fall screening.

The Timed Up and Go (TUG) has been commonly used for fall risk assessment. The instrumented Timed Up and Go (iTUG) adds wearable sensors to capture sub-movements and may be more sensitive. Posturography assessments have also been used for determining fall risk.

Manual and Cognitive Dual Tasks Contribute to Fall-Risk Differentiation in Posturography Measures.

Falls occur in 33% of older adults each year, some leading to moderate to severe injuries. To reduce falls and fall-related injuries, it is important to identify individuals with subtle risk factors elevating their likelihood of falling. The objective of this study was to determine how postural sway measures differed between fallers and nonfallers under standard and dual-task conditions.

Subtle Differences During Posturography Testing Can Influence Postural Sway Results: The Effects of Talking, Time Before Data Acquisition, and Visual Fixation.

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of 3 factors and their interactions on posturography: a period of time to become accustomed to the force platform before the initiation of data collection, presence of a visual fixation point, and participant talking during testing. The postural stability of 30 young adults and 30 older adults was evaluated to determine whether any observed effects were confounded with age. Analysis of variance techniques were used to test all possible combinations of the 3 factors.

Measures of balance performance are affected by a rested versus fatigued testing condition in people with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To investigate the effects of a rested and fatigued testing condition on measures of balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Academic research laboratory.

Development of a protocol for improving the clinical utility of posturography as a fall-risk screening tool.

Background: The usefulness of posturography in the clinical screening of older adults for fall risk has been limited by a lack of standardization in testing methodology and data reporting. This study determines which testing condition and postural sway measures best differentiate recurrent fallers and nonrecurrent fallers.

Methods: One hundred and fifty older adults were categorized based on their fall status in the past year.