Muscle Synergies in Patients with Medial Knee Osteoarthritis During Level-, Ramp- and Stair Locomotion.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent and severe condition with versatile effects on human locomotion, including alterations in neuromuscular control. Muscle synergies are understood as functional low-dimensional building blocks within the neuromuscular organization. To examine alterations in muscle synergy patterns during locomotion tasks in the presence of KOA, 40 participants, including 20 with medial KOA (KL-Score ≥ 2), performed level walking, as well as ramp and stair ascent and descent trials at self-selected speeds.

Neuromuscular Adaptations Related to Medial Knee Osteoarthritis and Influence of Unloader Braces on Neuromuscular Activity in Knee Osteoarthritis Subjects-A Systematic Review.

Unloader braces are a treatment modality for medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. The functional mechanisms involved are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this two-part systematic review examines the following research questions: How is muscle activation altered by medial compartment knee osteoarthritis, and do medial tibio-femoral compartment unloader braces alter muscle activation? If so, could this alteration be part of the unloading mechanism by affecting the altered muscle activity in medial compartment knee osteoarthritis?A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, LIVIVO, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and CENTRAL for articles published until August 2023.

Biomechanical analysis of different back-supporting exoskeletons regarding musculoskeletal loading during lifting and holding.

Industrial back support exoskeletons (BSEs) are a promising approach to addressing low back pain (LBP) which still affect a significant proportion of the workforce. They aim to reduce lumbar loading, the main biomechanical risk factor for LBP, by providing external support to the lumbar spine. The aim of this study was to determine the supporting effect of one active (A1) and two passive (P1 and P2) BSEs during different manual material handling tasks.

The effect of marathon running on the lower extremity kinematics and muscle activities during walking and running tasks.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common injury among runners, and it is thought that abnormal lower extremity biomechanics contribute to its development. However, the relationship between biomechanical changes after a marathon and PFPS injury remains limited. This study aims to investigate whether differences in knee and hip kinematics and lower extremity muscle activities exist in recreational runners before and after a marathon.