Individuals with knee osteoarthritis demonstrate increased passive stiffness of the hip flexor muscles.

Background: People with knee osteoarthritis stand and walk with increased trunk flexion. This altered postural alignment increases hamstring activation, elevating mechanical knee loads during walking. Increased hip flexor stiffness may lead to increased trunk flexion.

Increased trunk flexion may underlie elevated knee flexor activity in people with knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Previous research has demonstrated elevated activation of the knee flexor muscles in people with knee osteoarthritis. People with this condition have also been observed to walk with increased trunk flexion; this may alter biomechanical loading patterns and change muscle activation profiles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the biomechanical effect of increasing trunk flexion during walking.

Kinematic Characteristics of Male Runners With a History of Recurrent Calf Muscle Strain Injury.

Background: Calf muscle strain injuries are a common running injury affecting male runners and are known to have high reoccurrence rates. Currently, limited evidence exists investigating factors associated with this injury with no previous study investigating the running kinematics of male runners with a history of repeat calf muscle strain injuries.

Purpose: To investigate whether male runners with a history of repeat calf muscle strain injury demonstrate differences in stance phase running kinematics when compared to healthy controls.

A new integrated behavioural intervention for knee osteoarthritis: development and pilot study.

Background: Exercise-based approaches have been a cornerstone of physiotherapy management of knee osteoarthritis for many years. However, clinical effects are considered small to modest and the need for continued adherence identified as a barrier to clinical efficacy. While exercise-based approaches focus on muscle strengthening, biomechanical research has identified that people with knee osteoarthritis over activate their muscles during functional tasks.

Comparison of Pelvic Tilt Before and After Hip Flexor Stretching in Healthy Adults.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between hip flexor length and pelvic tilt or lumbar lordosis by quantifying the effect of stretching on pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis.

Methods: We quantified pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis before and after a single session of passive hip flexor stretching in a sample of 23 male participants. Changes in hip flexor length were also characterized, using a Thomas test protocol to measure passive hip extension in supine lying.

The between-day repeatability, standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change for discrete kinematic parameters during treadmill running.

Background: Kinematic parameters of the trunk, pelvis and lower limbs are frequently associated with both running injuries and performance, and the target of clinical interventions. Currently there is limited evidence reporting the between-day repeatability of discrete kinematic parameters of the trunk, pelvis and lower limbs during treadmill running.

Research Question: What is the between-day repeatability, standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change of discrete kinematic parameters of the trunk, pelvis and lower limbs during treadmill running?

Methods: 16 healthy participants attended two kinematic data collection sessions two weeks apart.

The effect of increasing trunk flexion during normal walking.

Background: The head, arms and trunk segment constitute a large proportion of the body's mass. Therefore, small alterations in trunk inclination may affect lower limb joint moments and muscle activation patterns. Although previous research has investigated the effect of changing frontal plane inclination of the trunk, it is not clear how increasing trunk flexion will impact on the activation of the lower limb muscles.

Prolonged sitting and physical inactivity are associated with limited hip extension: A cross-sectional study.

Background: It is possible that physical inactivity and prolonged sitting could lead to changes in muscle properties or bony limitations which may reduce passive hip extension.

Objectives: This study explored the association between passive hip extension and sitting/physical activity patterns.

Design: Cross sectional study.

Between-day repeatability of lower limb EMG measurement during running and walking.

There are minimal data describing the between-day repeatability of EMG measurements during running. Furthermore, there are no data characterising the repeatability of surface EMG measurement from the adductor muscles, during running or walking. The purpose of this study was to report on the consistency of EMG measurement for both running and walking across a comprehensive set of lower limb muscles, including adductor magnus, longus and gracilis.

Could Relative Movement Between the Adductor Muscles and the Skin Invalidate Surface Electromyography Measurement?

The superficial hip adductor muscles are situated in close proximity to each other. Therefore, relative movement between the overlying skin and the muscle belly could lead to a shift in the position of surface electromyography (EMG) electrodes and contamination of EMG signals with activity from neighboring muscles. The aim of this study was to explore whether hip movements or isometric contraction could lead to relative movement between the overlying skin and 3 adductor muscles: adductor magnus, adductor longus, and adductor gracilis.

Using the spring-mass model for running: Force-length curves and foot-strike patterns.

Background: The spring-mass model is commonly used to investigate the mechanical characteristics of human running. Underlying this model is the assumption of a linear force-length relationship, during the stance phase of running, and the idea that stiffness can be characterised using a single spring constant. However, it remains unclear whether the assumption of linearity is valid across different running styles.

How does normal variability in trunk flexion affect lower limb muscle activity during walking?

A large proportion of the mass of the body is contained within the trunk segment. Therefore, small changes in the inclination of this segment have the potential to influence the direction of the ground reaction force and alter lower limb joint moments and muscle activation patterns during walking. The aim of this study was to investigate if variability in sagittal trunk inclination in healthy participants is associated with differences in lower limb biomechanics.

A 10% Increase in Step Rate Improves Running Kinematics and Clinical Outcomes in Runners With Patellofemoral Pain at 4 Weeks and 3 Months.

Background: Aberrant frontal-plane hip and pelvis kinematics have been frequently observed in runners with patellofemoral pain (PFP). Gait retaining interventions have been shown to improve running kinematics and may therefore be beneficial in runners with PFP.

Purpose: To investigate whether a 10% increase in the running step rate influences frontal-plane kinematics of the hip and pelvis as well as clinical outcomes in runners with PFP.

Trunk flexion during walking in people with knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Over 50% of the body's mass is concentrated within the head, arms and trunk. Thus, small deviations in the orientation of the trunk, during normal walking, could influence the position of the centre of mass relative to the lower limb joint centres and impact on lower limb biomechanics. However, there are minimal data available on sagittal kinematics of the trunk in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) during walking.

The biomechanical characteristics of high-performance endurance running.

The biomechanical profile of high-level endurance runners may represent a useful model that could be used for developing training programmes designed to improve running style. This study, therefore, sought to compare the biomechanical characteristics of high-performance and recreational runners. Kinematic and kinetic measurements were taken during overground running from a cohort of 14 high-performance (8 male) and 14 recreational (8 male) runners, at four speeds ranging from 3.

Optimisation of rocker sole footwear for prevention of first plantar ulcer: comparison of group-optimised and individually-selected footwear designs.

Background: Appropriate footwear for individuals with diabetes but no ulceration history could reduce the risk of first ulceration. However, individuals who deem themselves at low risk are unlikely to seek out bespoke footwear which is personalised. Therefore, our primary aim was to investigate whether group-optimised footwear designs, which could be prefabricated and delivered in a retail setting, could achieve appropriate pressure reduction, or whether footwear selection must be on a patient-by-patient basis.

Large Scale Population Assessment of Physical Activity Using Wrist Worn Accelerometers: The UK Biobank Study.

Background: Physical activity has not been objectively measured in prospective cohorts with sufficiently large numbers to reliably detect associations with multiple health outcomes. Technological advances now make this possible. We describe the methods used to collect and analyse accelerometer measured physical activity in over 100,000 participants of the UK Biobank study, and report variation by age, sex, day, time of day, and season.

Are the arms and head required to accurately estimate centre of mass motion during running?

Accurate measurement of centre of mass (CoM) motion can provide valuable insight into the biomechanics of human running. However, full-body kinematic measurement protocols can be time consuming and difficult to implement. Therefore, this study was performed to understand whether CoM motion during running could be estimated from a model incorporating only lower extremity, pelvic and trunk segments.

Reductions in co-contraction following neuromuscular re-education in people with knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Both increased knee muscle co-contraction and alterations in central pain processing have been suggested to play a role in knee osteoarthritis pain. However, current interventions do not target either of these mechanisms. The Alexander Technique provides neuromuscular re-education and may also influence anticipation of pain.

How do elite endurance runners alter movements of the spine and pelvis as running speed increases?

Elite endurance runners are characterised by their performance ability and higher running economy. However, there is relatively little research aimed at identifying the biomechanical characteristics of this group. This study aimed to understand how motions of the pelvis, lumbar spine and thorax change with speed in a cohort of elite endurance runners (n=14) and a cohort of recreational runners (n=14).

The coordinated movement of the spine and pelvis during running.

Previous research into running has demonstrated consistent patterns in pelvic, lumbar and thoracic motions between different human runners. However, to date, there has been limited attempt to explain why observed coordination patterns emerge and how they may relate to centre of mass (CoM) motion. In this study, kinematic data were collected from the thorax, lumbar spine, pelvis and lower limbs during over ground running in n=28 participants.

Automatic identification of gait events using an instrumented sock.

Background: Textile-based transducers are an emerging technology in which piezo-resistive properties of materials are used to measure an applied strain. By incorporating these sensors into a sock, this technology offers the potential to detect critical events during the stance phase of the gait cycle. This could prove useful in several applications, such as functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems to assist gait.

Activity identification using body-mounted sensors--a review of classification techniques.

With the advent of miniaturized sensing technology, which can be body-worn, it is now possible to collect and store data on different aspects of human movement under the conditions of free living. This technology has the potential to be used in automated activity profiling systems which produce a continuous record of activity patterns over extended periods of time. Such activity profiling systems are dependent on classification algorithms which can effectively interpret body-worn sensor data and identify different activities.