Context: In sprint events, the first 2 steps are used to accelerate the center of mass horizontally and vertically. Amputee athletes cannot actively generate energy with their running-specific prosthesis. It is likely that sprint acceleration mechanics, including step asymmetry, are altered compared with able-bodied athletes.
Purpose: To investigate spatiotemporal and kinetic variables of amputee compared with able-bodied sprinters.
Methods: Kinematic and kinetic data of the first and second stance were collected from 15 able-bodied and 7 amputee sprinters (2 unilateral transfemoral, 4 unilateral transtibial, and 1 bilateral transtibial) with a motion-capture system (250 Hz) and 2 force plates (1000 Hz). In addition, bilateral asymmetry was quantified and compared between groups.
Results: Compared with able-bodied athletes, amputee athletes demonstrated significantly lower performance values for 5- and 10-m times. Step length, step velocity, and step frequency were decreased and contact times increased. Peak horizontal force and relative change of horizontal velocity were decreased in both stances. Peak vertical force and relative change of vertical velocity were lower for the amputee than the able-bodied group during the first stance but significantly higher during the second stance. During the first stance, able-bodied and amputee sprinters displayed a similar orientation of the ground-reaction-force vector, which became more vertically orientated in the amputee group during second stance. Amputee sprinters showed significantly greater asymmetry magnitudes for vertical force kinetics compared with able-bodietd athletes.
Conclusion: A running-specific prosthesis does not replicate the function of the biological limb well in the early acceleration phase.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2017-0231 | DOI Listing |
J Biomech
January 2025
UNC-NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1407, Engineering Building III, 1840 Entrepreneur Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. Electronic address:
Continuous relative phase (CRP) quantifies coordination for cyclic motions as the difference in the phase portrait locations between its constituent coordinates and has been widely used in populations with neuromuscular impairments. Continuous analyses, like statistical parameter mapping (SPM), provide greater resolution than traditional techniques that first compress CRP across a section of the cycle to a single point, like mean average relative phase (MARP). However, both analyses neglect the effect of intermediate event timing (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
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 PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Onychomycosis is a common, difficult to treat nail disorder. Our objective was to explore disparities in current clinical management practices for onychomycosis in patients from underrepresented groups and with specific comorbidities. We conducted a cross-sectional study using the All of Us (AoU) research program.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Appl Biomech
January 2025
J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
The metabolic cost of walking for individuals with transtibial amputation is generally greater compared with able-bodied individuals. One aim of powered prostheses is to reduce metabolic deficits by replicating biological ankle function. Individuals with transtibial amputation can activate their residual limb muscles to volitionally control bionic ankle prostheses for walking; however, it is unknown how myoelectric control performs outside the laboratory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
Pacing strategy is a complex self-regulation process, crucial for optimising sports performance. Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (IIs) face unique challenges due to cognitive limitations that may hinder their ability to pace effectively, impacting chronometric performance. This study analysed the pacing profiles and chronometric performance across 253 event entries by elite swimmers with II, divided into three groups: 100 entries for group II1 (intellectual disability), 85 for group II2 (Down syndrome), and 68 for group II3 (autism spectrum disorder).
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