Whole leg compression garments influence lower limb kinematics and associated muscle synergies during running.

The utilization of compression garments (CGs) has demonstrated the potential to improve athletic performance; however, the specific mechanisms underlying this enhancement remain a subject of further investigation. This study aimed to examine the impact of CGs on running mechanics and muscle synergies from a neuromuscular control perspective. Twelve adult males ran on a treadmill at 12 km/h, while data pertaining to lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography were collected under two clothing conditions: whole leg compression garments and control.

A Re-examination of the Measurement of Foot Strike Mechanics During Running: The Immediate Effect of Footwear Midsole Thickness.

Purpose: Midsole cushioning thickness (MT) is a key component of running footwear that may influence the stiffness setting of the joints, performance enhancement, and injury prevention. Most studies that have investigated the influence of manipulating shoe midsole characteristics on foot strike patterns and vertical force loading rates have not considered the dynamic conditions of initial landing and the associated initial lower limb joint stiffness. In this study, we examined the effect of running in shoes with large changes in MT on both the posture and dynamics associated with foot strike.

Polygenic mechanisms underpinning the response to exercise-induced muscle damage in humans: In vivo and in vitro evidence.

We investigated whether 20 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with in vivo exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), and with an in vitro skeletal muscle stem cell wound healing assay. Sixty-five young, untrained Caucasian adults performed 120 maximal eccentric knee-extensions on an isokinetic dynamometer to induce EIMD. Maximal voluntary isometric/isokinetic knee-extensor torque, knee joint range of motion (ROM), muscle soreness, serum creatine kinase activity and interleukin-6 concentration were assessed before, directly after and 48 h after EIMD.

A Supersaturated Oxygen Emulsion for the Topical Treatment of Ocular Trauma.

Introduction: Roughly 13% of all battlefield injuries include some form of ocular trauma. Ocular tissue preservation is critical for wound healing for warfighters with ocular injuries. Our team hypothesized that oxygen plays a vital role in ocular tissue preservation and wound healing and has developed a supersaturated oxygen emulsion (SOE) for the topical treatment of ocular trauma.

Contribution of lower body segment rotations in various height soccer volley kicking.

We aimed to quantify the contribution of lower body segment rotations in producing foot velocity during the soccer volley kick. Fifteen male experienced university players kicked a soccer ball placed at four height conditions (0, 25, 50 and 75 cm). Their kicking motion was captured at 500 Hz.

Footwear insoles with higher frictional properties enhance performance by reducing in-shoe sliding during rapid changes of direction.

A novel 3D motion capture analysis assessed the efficacy of insoles in maintaining the foot position on the midsole platform inside the shoe during rapid change of direction manoeuvres used in team sports. An insole (TI) with increased static (35%) and dynamic (49%) coefficient of friction compared to a regular insole (SI) was tested. Change of direction performance was faster (p < .

Unpredictable shoe midsole perturbations provide an instability stimulus to train ankle posture and motion during forward and lateral gym lunges.

Unstable footwear may enhance training effects to the lower-limb musculature and sensorimotor system during dynamic gym movements. This study compared the instability of an unstable shoe with irregular midsole deformations (IM) and a control shoe (CS) during forward and lateral lunges. Seventeen female gym class participants completed two sets of ten forward and lateral lunges in CS and IM.

Lack of impact moderating movement adaptation when soccer players perform game specific tasks on a third-generation artificial surface without a cushioning underlay.

The objective of this study was to investigate how the inclusion of a cushioning underlay in a third-generation artificial turf (3G) affects player biomechanics during soccer-specific tasks. Twelve soccer players (9 males/3 females; 22.6 ± 2.

Magnitude and variability of gait characteristics when walking on an irregular surface at different speeds.

Different modes of perturbations have been used to understand how individuals negotiate irregular surfaces, with a general notion that increased locomotion variability induces a positive training stimulus. Individuals tend to walk slower when initially exposed to such locomotion tasks, potentially influencing the magnitude and variability of biomechanical parameters. This study investigated theeffects of gait speed on lower extremity biomechanics when walking on an irregular (IS) and regular surface (RS).

Adjustments with running speed reveal neuromuscular adaptations during landing associated with high mileage running training.

It remains to be determined whether running training influences the amplitude of lower limb muscle activations before and during the first half of stance and whether such changes are associated with joint stiffness regulation and usage of stored energy from tendons. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate neuromuscular and movement adaptations before and during landing in response to running training across a range of speeds. Two groups of high mileage (HM; >45 km/wk, = 13) and low mileage (LM; <15 km/wk, = 13) runners ran at four speeds (2.

Lower limb joint stiffness and muscle co-contraction adaptations to instability footwear during locomotion.

Unstable shoes (US) continually perturb gait which can train the lower limb musculature, but muscle co-contraction and potential joint stiffness strategies are not well understood. A shoe with a randomly perturbing midsole (IM) may enhance these adaptations. This study compares ankle and knee joint stiffness, and ankle muscle co-contraction during walking and running in US, IM and a control shoe in 18 healthy females.

Genetic variation and exercise-induced muscle damage: implications for athletic performance, injury and ageing.

Prolonged unaccustomed exercise involving muscle lengthening (eccentric) actions can result in ultrastructural muscle disruption, impaired excitation-contraction coupling, inflammation and muscle protein degradation. This process is associated with delayed onset muscle soreness and is referred to as exercise-induced muscle damage. Although a certain amount of muscle damage may be necessary for adaptation to occur, excessive damage or inadequate recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage can increase injury risk, particularly in older individuals, who experience more damage and require longer to recover from muscle damaging exercise than younger adults.

Cultural Incubators and Spread of Innovation.

Several forms of social learning rely on the direct or indirect evaluation of the fitness of cultural traits. Here we argue, via a simple agent-based model, that payoff uncertainty, that is, the correlation between a trait and the signal used to evaluate its fitness, plays a pivotal role in the spread of beneficial innovation. More specifically, we examine how this correlation affects the evolutionary dynamics of different forms of social learning and how each form can generate divergent historical trajectories depending on the size of the sample pool.

Can Trained Runners Effectively Attenuate Impact Acceleration During Repeated High-Intensity Running Bouts?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of prolonged high-intensity running on impact accelerations in trained runners. Thirteen male distance runners completed two 20-minute treadmill runs at speeds corresponding to 95% of onset of blood lactate accumulation. Leg and head accelerations were collected for 20 s every fourth minute.

Using accelerometry to quantify deceleration during a high-intensity soccer turning manoeuvre.

Abstract The mechanics of cutting movements have been investigated extensively, but few studies have considered the rapid deceleration phase prior to turning which has been linked to muscle damage. This study used accelerometry to examine the influence of turning intensity on the last three steps of a severe turn. Ten soccer players performed 135° "V" cuts at five different intensities.

Influence of tibial shock feedback training on impact loading and running economy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether real-time feedback (RTF) training would reduce impact loading variables previously linked with tibial stress fracture risk and whether these adaptations would influence running economy.

Methods: Twenty-two male runners were randomly assigned to RTF (n = 12) and control (n = 10) groups. The RTF group received feedback based on their peak tibial axial accelerations (PTA) during six 20-min treadmill runs for 3 wk, whereas the control group adhered to the same training but without feedback.

Metatarsophalangeal joint function during sprinting: a comparison of barefoot and sprint spike shod foot conditions.

The metatarsophalangeal joint is an important contributor to lower limb energetics during sprint running. This study compared the kinematics, kinetics and energetics of the metatarsophalangeal joint during sprinting barefoot and wearing standardized sprint spikes. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether standard sprinting footwear alters the natural motion and function of the metatarsophalangeal joint exhibited during barefoot sprint running.

Measurement procedures affect the interpretation of metatarsophalangeal joint function during accelerated sprinting.

The metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) is a significant absorber of energy in sprinting. This study examined the influence of MPJ axis choice and filter cut-off frequency on kinetic variables describing MPJ function during accelerated sprinting. Eight trained sprinters performed maximal sprints along a runway.

Effects of fatigue on running mechanics associated with tibial stress fracture risk.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effects of progressive fatigue on the parameters of running mechanics previously associated with tibial stress fracture risk.

Methods: Twenty-one trained male distance runners performed three sets (Pre, Mid, and Post) of six overground running trials at 4.5 m.

Heel skin stiffness effect on the hind foot biomechanics during heel strike.

Background: The human heel pad is a complex biological structure consisting of the fat pad and the skin. The mechanical properties of the skin layer are of significant importance to the load-bearing function of the heel pad and human locomotion. The condition of the heel skin is also directly associated with some medical conditions such as heel ulcers that may become a site for the skin breakdown, which is the most common precursor to lower extremity amputation among persons with diabetes.

The influence of footwear on foot motion during walking and running.

There are evidences to suggest that wearing footwear constrains the natural barefoot motion during locomotion. Unlike prior studies that deduced foot motions from shoe sole displacement parameters, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of footwear motion on forefoot to rearfoot relative motion during walking and running. The use of a multi-segment foot model allowed accurate both shoe sole and foot motions (barefoot and shod) to be quantified.

Kinematic response characteristics of the CAREN moving platform system for use in posture and balance research.

The CAREN system is a new and unique device for use in postural and balance research in clinical settings due to its ability to independently perturb the support surface in each of six degrees of freedom. Users of this system need knowledge of its technical performance which is not available. The aim of this study was to determine the technical performance of the CAREN system by defining its kinematic response characteristics to two commonly used input functions (sine and ramp) for each of its six translational and rotational axes.

A method for manipulating a movable platform's axes of rotation: a novel use of the CAREN system.

The functionality of movable platforms used in human balance studies is limited as they allow rotations around pre-defined axes, which typically run close to the platform's surface and so cannot be used to directly investigate control mechanisms of proximal joints. A new six degrees of freedom platform (CAREN, Motek, Amsterdam) is now available which in principle could be programmed to rotate around any axis of rotation. The location of the default axes of rotation for this device are not documented and the algorithm to move the axes has not yet been defined.

Shock absorption during forefoot running and its relationship to medial longitudinal arch height.

Background: Overuse injuries to the lower extremity have often been connected with the repetitive loading of the foot and in particular its ability to absorb shock. The shock absorbing ability of the foot is thought to relate to its structure, particularly the height of the medial longitudinal arch. The purpose of this study was to investigate the shock absorption characteristics of the foot in forefoot running as measured by the dynamic load rate of the vertical ground reaction forces during the early stages of ground contact and to relate these characteristics to the height of the medial longitudinal arch.