Utilization and compensation of interaction torques during ball-throwing movements.

J Neurophysiol

Department of Life Sciences (Sports Sciences), Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan.

Published: April 2003

The manner in which the CNS deals with interaction torques at each joint in ball throwing was investigated by instructing subjects to throw a ball at three different speeds, using two (elbow and wrist) or three joints (shoulder, elbow, and wrist). The results indicated that the role of the muscle torque at the most proximal joint was to accelerate the most proximal joint and to produce the effect of interjoint interaction on the distal joints. In the three-joint throwing, shoulder muscle torque produced the assistive interaction torque for the elbow, which was effectively utilized to generate large elbow angular velocity when throwing fast. However, at the wrist, the muscle torque always counteracted the interaction torque. By this kinetic mechanism, the wrist angular velocity at the ball-release time was kept relatively constant irrespective of ball speed, which would lead to an accurate ball release. Thus it was concluded that humans can adjust the speed and accuracy of ball-throwing by utilizing interaction torque or compensating for it.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00674.2002DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

muscle torque
12
interaction torque
12
interaction torques
8
elbow wrist
8
proximal joint
8
angular velocity
8
interaction
6
torque
6
utilization compensation
4
compensation interaction
4

Similar Publications

A neuromechanics solution for adjustable robot compliance and accuracy.

Sci Robot

January 2025

Research Center for Information and Communication Technologies, Department of Computer Engineering, Automation and Robotics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.

Robots have to adjust their motor behavior to changing environments and variable task requirements to successfully operate in the real world and physically interact with humans. Thus, robotics strives to enable a broad spectrum of adjustable motor behavior, aiming to mimic the human ability to function in unstructured scenarios. In humans, motor behavior arises from the integrative action of the central nervous system and body biomechanics; motion must be understood from a neuromechanics perspective.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lower-limb exoskeletons have demonstrated great potential for gait rehabilitation in individuals with motor impairments; however, maintaining human-exoskeleton coordination remains a challenge. The coordination problem, referred to as any mismatch or asynchrony between the user's intended trajectories and exoskeleton desired trajectories, leads to sub-optimal gait performance, particularly for individuals with residual motor ability. Here, we investigate the virtual energy regulator (VER)'s ability to generate coordinated locomotion in lower limb exoskeleton.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The medial collateral ligament (MCL), and posterior oblique ligament (POL) are the primary valgus stabilisers of the knee, and clinical examinations in grading valgus instability can be inherently subjective. Stress radiography of medial-sided knee injuries provides objective diagnosis and was analysed in this study. We hypothesised that (1) medial joint space opening would increase cutting the superficial MCL (sMCL), POL and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL); (2) isolated deep MCL (dMCL) injury would not increase medial joint space opening; (3) medial joint space opening would increase at higher flexion angles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Handheld dynamometers provide clinicians an objective measure of lower-extremity force production at the hip and knee. While push-based dynamometers are common in clinical practice, they can be associated with patient discomfort, and standardization of methods is challenging when patient forces can exceed the ability of the rater. Development of novel, pull-based dynamometers allow for better patient comfort, but validity between dynamometers must be established before integration into clinical practice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Effect of Flexible Flatfoot on the Running Function in School-Age Children.

J Orthop Res

January 2025

1-7 Gait and Motion Analysis Center, Yueyang Hospital of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Flexible flatfoot is common among school-age children and significantly affects walking efficiency, balance stability, and joint-movement coordination in children. The demands on the skeletal structure and muscle function are increased during running; however, the impact of a flexible flatfoot on children's running capabilities is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of flexible flatfoot on the running function of school-age children.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!