scholarly journals Strength, Multijoint Coordination, and Sensorimotor Processing Are Independent Contributors to Overall Balance Ability

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily L. Lawrence ◽  
Guilherme M. Cesar ◽  
Martha R. Bromfield ◽  
Richard Peterson ◽  
Francisco J. Valero-Cuevas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Vertical Jump ◽  
Lower Extremity Injury ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Sensorimotor Processing ◽  
Multijoint Coordination ◽  
Balance Ability ◽  
Components Analysis

For young adults, balance is essential for participation in physical activities but is often disrupted following lower extremity injury. Clinical outcome measures such as single limb balance (SLB), Y-balance (YBT), and the single limb hop and balance (SLHB) tests are commonly used to quantify balance ability following injury. Given the varying demands across tasks, it is likely that such outcome measures provide useful, although task-specific, information. But the extent to which they are independent and contribute to understanding the multiple contributors to balance is not clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the associations among these measures as they relate to the different contributors to balance. Thirty-seven recreationally active young adults completed measures including Vertical Jump, YBT, SLB, SLHB, and the new Lower Extremity Dexterity test. Principal components analysis revealed that these outcome measures could be thought of as quantifying the strength, multijoint coordination, and sensorimotor processing contributors to balance. Our results challenge the practice of using a single outcome measure to quantify the naturally multidimensional mechanisms for everyday functions such as balance. This multidimensional approach to, and interpretation of, multiple contributors to balance may lead to more effective, specialized training and rehabilitation regimens.

Lower-Extremity Biomechanics and Maintenance of Vertical-Jump Height During Prolonged Intermittent Exercise

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-329
Author(s):  
Randy J. Schmitz ◽  
John C. Cone ◽  
Timothy J. Copple ◽  
Robert A. Henson ◽  
Sandra J. Shultz
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Principal Components ◽  
Intermittent Exercise ◽  
Vertical Jump ◽  
The Body ◽  
Rating Of Perceived Exertion ◽  
Jump Height ◽  
Lower Extremity Biomechanics ◽  
Biomechanical Factors

Context:Potential biomechanical compensations allowing for maintenance of maximal explosive performance during prolonged intermittent exercise, with respect to the corresponding rise in injury rates during the later stages of exercise or competition, are relatively unknown.Objective:To identify lower-extremity countermovement-jump (CMJ) biomechanical factors using a principal-components approach and then examine how these factors changed during a 90-min intermittent-exercise protocol (IEP) while maintaining maximal jump height.Design:Mixed-model design.Setting:Laboratory.Participants:Fifty-nine intermittent-sport athletes (30 male, 29 female) participated in experimental and control conditions.Interventions:Before and after a dynamic warm-up and every 15 min during the 1st and 2nd halves of an individually prescribed 90-min IEP, participants were assessed on rating of perceived exertion, sprint/cut speed, and 3-dimensional CMJ biomechanics (experimental). On a separate day, the same measures were obtained every 15 min during 90 min of quiet rest (control).Main Outcome Measures:Univariate piecewise growth models analyzed progressive changes in CMJ performance and biomechanical factors extracted from a principal-components analysis of the individual biomechanical dependent variables.Results:While CMJ height was maintained during the 1st and 2nd halves, the body descended less and knee kinetic and energetic magnitudes decreased as the IEP progressed.Conclusions:The results indicate that vertical-jump performance is maintained along with progressive biomechanical changes commonly associated with decreased performance. A better understanding of lower-extremity biomechanics during explosive actions in response to IEP allows us to further develop and individualize performance training programs.

Sustained Improvements in Dynamic Balance and Landing Mechanics After a 6-Week Neuromuscular Training Program in College Women’s Basketball Players

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate R. Pfile ◽  
Phillip A. Gribble ◽  
Gretchen E. Buskirk ◽  
Sara M. Meserth ◽  
Brian G. Pietrosimone
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Injury Prevention ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Lower Extremity Injury ◽  
Extremity Injury ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Landing Mechanics ◽  
Women's Basketball ◽  
Over Time

Context:Epidemiological data demonstrate the need for lower-extremity injury-prevention training. Neuromuscularcontrol (NMC) programs are immediately effective at minimizing lower-extremity injury risk and improving sport-related performance measures. Research investigating lasting effects after an injury-prevention program is limited.Objective:To determine whether dynamic balance, landing mechanics, and hamstring and quadriceps strength could be improved after a 6-wk NMC intervention and maintained for a season.Design:Prospective case series.Setting:Controlled laboratory.Participants:11 Division I women’s basketball players (age 19.40 ± 1.35 y, height 178.05 ± 7.52 cm, mass 72.86 ± 10.70 kg).Interventions:Subjects underwent testing 3 times, completing the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), and isometric strength testing for the hamstrings and quadriceps muscles. Pretest and posttest 1 occurred immediately before and after the intervention, respectively, and posttest 2 at the end of the competitive season, 9 mo after posttest 1. Subjects participated in eighteen 30-min plyometric and NMC-training sessions over a 6-wk period.Main Outcome Measures:The normalized SEBT composite score, normalized peak isometric hamstrings:quadriceps (H:Q) ratio, and the LESS total score.Results:The mean composite reach significantly improved over time (F2,10 = 6.96, P = .005) where both posttest scores were significantly higher than pretest (70.41% ± 4.08%) (posttest 1 73.48% ± 4.19%, t10 = –3.11, P = .011) and posttest 2 (74.2% ± 4.77%, t10 = –3.78, P = .004). LESS scores significantly improved over time (F2,10 = 6.29, P = .009). The pretest LESS score (7.30 ± 3.40) was higher than posttest 1 (4.9 ± 1.20, t10 = 2.71, P = .024) and posttest 2 (5.44 ± 1.83, t10 = 2.58, P = .030). There were no statistically significant differences (P > .05) over time for the H:Q ratio when averaging both legs (F2,10 = 0.83, P = .45).Conclusions:A 6-wk NMC program improved landing mechanics and dynamic balance over a 9-mo period in women’s basketball players. NMC adaptations can be retained without an in-season maintenance program.

Hip-Muscle Activation during the Lunge, Single-Leg Squat, and Step-Up-and-Over Exercises

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha N. Boudreau ◽  
Maureen K. Dwyer ◽  
Carl G. Mattacola ◽  
Christian Lattermann ◽  
Tim L. Uhl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Gluteus Maximus ◽  
Rectus Femoris ◽  
Lower Extremity Injury ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hip Muscle ◽  
Hip Muscles ◽  
Single Leg Squat

Context:Functional exercises are often used in strengthening programs after lower extremity injury. Activation levels of the stabilizing hip muscles have not been documented.Objective:To document the progression of hip-muscle activation levels during 3 lower extremity functional exercises.Design:Cross-sectional.Setting:Laboratory.Participants:44 healthy individuals, 22 women and 22 men.Intervention:Subjects, in 1 testing session, completed 3 trials each of the lunge (LUN), single-leg squat (SLSQ), and step-up-and-over (SUO) exercise.Main Outcome Measures:Root-mean-square muscle amplitude (% reference voluntary muscle contraction) was measured for 5 muscles during the 3 exercises: rectus femoris (RF), dominant and nondominant gluteus medius (GMed_D and GMed_ND), adductor longus (ADD), and gluteus maximus (GMX).Results:The RF, GMAX, and GMed_D were activated in a progression from least to greatest during the SUO, LUN, and SLSQ. The progression for the GMed_ND activation was from least to greatest during the SLSQ, SUO, and then LUN. Activation levels of the ADD showed no progression.Conclusion:Progressive activation levels were documented for muscles acting on the hip joint during 3 functional lower extremity exercises. The authors recommend using this exercise progression when targeting the hip muscles during lower extremity strengthening.

High-Risk Lower-Extremity Biomechanics Evaluated in Simulated Soccer-Specific Virtual Environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. DiCesare ◽  
Adam W. Kiefer ◽  
Scott Bonnette ◽  
Gregory D. Myer
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Vertical Jump ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
Female Adolescent ◽  
Lower Extremity Injury ◽  
Skill Transfer ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Drop Vertical Jump

Context: Laboratory-based biomechanical analyses of sport-relevant movements such as landing and cutting have classically been used to quantify kinematic and kinetic factors in the context of injury risk, which are then used to inform targeted interventions designed to improve risky movement patterns during sport. However, the noncontextual nature of standard assessments presents challenges for assessing sport-relevant skill transfer. Objective: To examine injury-risk biomechanical differences exhibited by athletes during a jump-landing task performed as part of both a standard biomechanical assessment and a simulated, sport-specific virtual reality (VR)-based assessment. Design: Observational study. Setting: Medical center laboratory. Participants: Twenty-two female adolescent soccer athletes (age = 16.0 [1.4] y, height = 165.6 [4.9] cm, and weight = 60.2 [11.4] kg). Interventions: The landing performance was analyzed for a drop vertical jump task and a VR-based, soccer-specific corner-kick scenario in which the athletes were required to jump to head a virtual soccer ball and land. Main Outcome Measures: Hip, knee, and ankle joint kinematic differences in the frontal and sagittal planes. Results: Athletes exhibited reduced hip and ankle flexion, hip abduction, and frontal plane ankle excursion during landing in realistic sport scenario compared with the standard drop vertical jump task. Conclusion: VR-based assessments can provide a sport-specific context in which to assess biomechanical deficits that predispose athletes for lower-extremity injury and offer a promising approach to better evaluate skill transfer to sport that can guide future injury prevention efforts.

The lack of standardized outcome measures following lower extremity injury in elite soccer: a systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 3109-3117
Author(s):  
William A. Zuke ◽  
Avinesh Agarwalla ◽  
Beatrice Go ◽  
Justin W. Griffin ◽  
Brian J. Cole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Lower Extremity Injury ◽  
Extremity Injury

scholarly journals Concussion in National Football League Athletes Is Not Associated With Increased Risk of Acute, Noncontact Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 232596712110034
Author(s):  
Toufic R. Jildeh ◽  
Fabien Meta ◽  
Jacob Young ◽  
Brendan Page ◽  
Kelechi R. Okoroha
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Field Performance ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Lower Extremity Injury ◽  
Extremity Injury ◽  
Lower Extremity Injuries ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Extremity Injuries ◽  
And Control

Background: Impaired neuromuscular function after concussion has recently been linked to increased risk of lower extremity injuries in athletes. Purpose: To determine if National Football League (NFL) athletes have an increased risk of sustaining an acute, noncontact lower extremity injury in the 90-day period after return to play (RTP) and whether on-field performance differs pre- and postconcussion. Study Design: Cohort study, Level of evidence, 3. Methods: NFL concussions in offensive players from the 2012-2013 to the 2016-2017 seasons were studied. Age, position, injury location/type, RTP, and athlete factors were noted. A 90-day RTP postconcussive period was analyzed for lower extremity injuries. Concussion and injury data were obtained from publicly available sources. Nonconcussed, offensive skill position NFL athletes from the same period were used as a control cohort, with the 2014 season as the reference season. Power rating performance metrics were calculated for ±1, ±2, and ±3 seasons pre- and postconcussion. Conditional logistic regression was used to determine associations between concussion and lower extremity injury as well as the relationship of concussions to on-field performance. Results: In total, 116 concussions were recorded in 108 NFL athletes during the study period. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of an acute, noncontact lower extremity injury between concussed and control athletes (8.5% vs 12.8%; P = .143), which correlates with an odds ratio of 0.573 (95% CI, 0.270-1.217). Days (66.4 ± 81.9 days vs 45.1 ± 69.2 days; P = .423) and games missed (3.67 ± 3.0 vs 2.9 ± 2.7 games; P = .470) were similar in concussed athletes and control athletes after a lower extremity injury. No significant changes in power ratings were noted in concussed athletes in the acute period (±1 season to injury) when comparing pre- and postconcussion. Conclusion: Concussed, NFL offensive athletes did not demonstrate increased odds of acute, noncontact, lower extremity injury in a 90-day RTP period when compared with nonconcussed controls. Immediate on-field performance of skill position players did not appear to be affected by concussion.

scholarly journals Correlation between the Korean Version of the Trunk Control Measurement Scale and the Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity Scores in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 687
Author(s):  
Misoo Lim ◽  
Haneul Lee ◽  
Hyoungwon Lim
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Motor Control ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
Trunk Control ◽  
Control Measurement ◽  
Korean Version ◽  
Sitting Balance ◽  
Children With Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Balance Ability

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the Korean version of the trunk control measurement scale (K-TCMS) and the selective control assessment of the lower extremity (SCALE). Through this, we tried to find out the effect of proximal stabilization on distal motor development. Materials and Methods: Fifty-one children with gross motor function classification system level I–III, diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP), were studied. The K-TCMS was used to evaluate the body control ability of the children. SCALE was used to quantify selective voluntary motor control (SVMC). Results: Analysis of SCALE and K-TCMS showed a significant positive correlation in all items. Multiple regression analysis showed that the SCALE score decreased as age increased, and that it increased as the static sitting balance ability score and the dynamic sitting balance ability score of the K-TCMS increased significantly (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In children with cerebral palsy, there was a close correlation between trunk control and selective voluntary motor control of the lower extremities. Therefore, when trying to improve the lower extremity function of a child with cerebral palsy, a trunk control intervention should be considered.

Lower-Extremity Muscle Activity During Aquatic and Land Treadmill Running at the Same Speeds

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Matthew Silvers ◽  
Eadric Bressel ◽  
D. Clark Dickin ◽  
Garry Killgore ◽  
Dennis G. Dolny
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Tibialis Anterior ◽  
Rectus Femoris ◽  
Biceps Femoris ◽  
Swing Phase ◽  
Treadmill Running ◽  
Vastus Medialis ◽  
Lower Extremity Muscle

Context:Muscle activation during aquatic treadmill (ATM) running has not been examined, despite similar investigations for other modes of aquatic locomotion and increased interest in ATM running.Objectives:The objectives of this study were to compare normalized (percentage of maximal voluntary contraction; %MVC), absolute duration (aDUR), and total (tACT) lower-extremity muscle activity during land treadmill (TM) and ATM running at the same speeds.Design:Exploratory, quasi-experimental, crossover design.Setting:Athletic training facility.Participants:12 healthy recreational runners (age = 25.8 ± 5 y, height = 178.4 ± 8.2 cm, mass = 71.5 ± 11.5 kg, running experience = 8.2 ± 5.3 y) volunteered for participation.Intervention:All participants performed TM and ATM running at 174.4, 201.2, and 228.0 m/min while surface electromyographic data were collected from the vastus medialis, rectus femoris, gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, and biceps femoris.Main Outcome Measures:For each muscle, a 2 × 3 repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze the main effects and environment–speed interaction (P ≤ .05) of each dependent variable: %MVC, aDUR, and tACT.Results:Compared with TM, ATM elicited significantly reduced %MVC (−44.0%) but increased aDUR (+213.1%) and tACT (+41.9%) in the vastus medialis, increased %MVC (+48.7%) and aDUR (+128.1%) in the rectus femoris during swing phase, reduced %MVC (−26.9%) and tACT (−40.1%) in the gastrocnemius, increased aDUR (+33.1%) and tACT (+35.7%) in the tibialis anterior, and increased aDUR (+41.3%) and tACT (+29.2%) in the biceps femoris. At faster running speeds, there were significant increases in tibialis anterior %MVC (+8.6−15.2%) and tACT (+12.7−17.0%) and rectus femoris %MVC (12.1−26.6%; swing phase).Conclusion:No significant environment–speed interaction effects suggested that observed muscle-activity differences between ATM and TM were due to environmental variation, ie, buoyancy (presumed to decrease %MVC) and drag forces (presumed to increase aDUR and tACT) in the water.

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