Background: Novel research surrounding anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is necessary because ACL injury rates have remained unchanged for several decades. An area of ACL risk mitigation which has not been well researched relates to vertical stiffness. The relationship between increased vertical stiffness and increased ground reaction force suggests that vertical stiffness may be related to ACL injury risk. However, given that increased dynamic knee joint stability has been shown to be associated with vertical stiffness, it is possible that modification of vertical stiffness could help to protect against injury. We aimed to determine whether vertical stiffness is related to measures known to load, or which represent loading of, the ACL.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study of 11 professional Australian rugby players. Knee kinematics and ACL elongation were measured from a 4-dimensional model of a hopping task which simulated the change of direction manoeuvre typically observed when non-contact ACL injury occurs. The model was generated from a CT scan of the participant's knee registered frame by frame to fluoroscopy images of the hopping task. Vertical stiffness was calculated from force plate data.
Results: There was no association found between vertical stiffness and anterior tibial translation (ATT) or ACL elongation (r=-0.05; p=0.89, and r=-0.07; p=0.83, respectively). ATT was related to ACL elongation (r=0.93; p=0.0001).
Conclusions: Vertical stiffness was not associated with ACL loading in this cohort of elite rugby players but a novel method for measuring ACL elongation in vivo was found to have good construct validity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000150 | DOI Listing |
Sensors (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi", University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
Temporal parameters are crucial for understanding running performance, especially in elite sports environments. Traditional measurement methods are often labor-intensive and not suitable for field conditions. This study seeks to provide greater clarity in parameter estimation using a single device by comparing it to the gold standard.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaterials (Basel)
December 2024
The Building Technology Department, Linnæus University, 352 52 Växjö, Sweden.
Timber-concrete composites are established structural elements to combine the advantageous properties of both materials by connecting them. In this work, an innovative flexible adhesive connection in different configurations is investigated. Load-bearing capacity, stiffness, and the failure modes were first experimentally investigated by performing push-out tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biomech
January 2025
Exercise Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Understanding intrinsic muscular adaptations more deeply can help clarify their relationships with sports performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if vastus lateralis muscle architecture, quality and stiffness can explain knee extensor maximal torque and countermovement and squat jump performance of athletes. One hundred and two athletes were evaluated based on the architecture, quality and stiffness of the vastus lateralis at rest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcc Mater Res
December 2024
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
As a ubiquitous feature of the biological world, gradation, in either composition or structure, is essential to many functions and processes. Taking protein gradation as an example, it plays a pivotal role in the development and evolution of human bodies, including stimulation and direction of the outgrowth of peripheral nerves in a developing fetus. It is also critically involved in wound healing by attracting and guiding immune cells to the site of injury or infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Acoust Soc Am
December 2024
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1794, USA.
Previous studies of laryngeal and respiratory control of the voice source often focus on main effects of individual control parameters but not their interactions. The goal of this study is to systematically identify important interaction effects in laryngeal and respiratory control of the voice source and vocal fold contact pressure in a three-dimensional voice production model. Computational simulations were performed with parametric variations in vocal fold geometry, stiffness, prephonatory glottal gap, and subglottal pressure.
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