RESEARCH ON ANTHROPOMETRIC FACTORS AND BALANCE STABILITY OF FIGURE SKATERS

The few studies that attempted to increase jump height in figure skaters (Haguenauer et al., 2005, Law & Ste-Marie, 2005) have failed to do so. These studies did not focus on increasing knee flexion, a critical factor for jump height (Moran & Wallace, 2007, Vanezis & Lees, 2005). Auditory biofeedback has been shown to modify posture, balance and cycling performance (Dozza et al., 2011; Nicolai et al., 2010; Liu & Jensen, 2009) and could potentially be used to increase knee flexion in figure skaters. To investigate the effects of auditory biofeedback on the performance of Lutz jumps. Thirteen intermediate level female adolescence figure skaters performed 6 off-ice Lutz jumps under each of 2 conditions: 1) WITH auditory biofeedback; 2) and WITHOUT auditory biofeedback. Auditory biofeedback was provided via EMG Retrainer. Separate repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted for time in the air, knee flexion and EMG activity. Differences between conditions for time in the air (p = .012) and knee flexion (p = .049) were identified. Auditory biofeedback increased knee flexion and decreased jump height. In this case, auditory biofeedback might have directed performers attention to an internal cue disrupting performance (Wulf, 2007).

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Determinants of Sports Injury in Young Female Swedish Competitive Figure Skaters

Frontiers in Sports and Active Living ◽

10.3389/fspor.2021.686019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Moa Jederström ◽

Sara Agnafors ◽

Christina Ekegren ◽

Kristina Fagher ◽

Håkan Gauffin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Outcome Measure ◽

Sports Injury ◽

Young Female ◽

Older Age ◽

Point Prevalence ◽

Severe Injury ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Secondary Outcome Measure ◽

Multiple Model ◽

Figure Skaters

Introduction: Although figure skating attracts several hundred thousand participants worldwide, there is little knowledge about physical health and sports injuries among young skaters. The present study aimed to describe the health status of a geographically defined Swedish population of licensed competitive figure skaters and to examine injury determinants.Methods: All licensed competitive skaters in the southeastern region of Sweden were in April 2019 invited to participate in a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire. Multiple binary logistic regression was used for the examination of injury determinants. The primary outcome measure was the 1-year prevalence of a severe sports injury episode (time loss >21 days). The secondary outcome measure was the point prevalence of an ongoing injury. The determinants analyzed were age, skating level, relative energy deficiency indicators, and training habits.Results: In total, 142 (36%) skaters participated, 137 (96%) girls [mean (SD) age: 12.9 (SD 3.0) years]. Participating boys (n = 5) were excluded from further analysis. The 1-year prevalence of a severe sports injury episode was 31%. The most common injury locations for these injuries were the knee (25%), ankle (20%), and hip/groin (15%). In the multiple model, having sustained a severe injury episode was associated with older age (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1–1.4; p = 0.002) and an increased number of skipped meals per week (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0–1.3; p = 0.014). The point prevalence of an ongoing injury episode was 19%. The most common locations were the knee (24%), ankle (24%), and foot (24%). Having an ongoing injury episode was associated with older age (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2–1.7; p < 0.001) and an increased number of skipped meals per week (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0–1.3; p = 0.049).Conclusion: One-third of young female Swedish competitive figure skaters had sustained a severe injury episode during the past year, and a fifth reported an ongoing episode. Older age and an increased number of skipped meals per week were associated with a sports injury episode. Long-term monotonous physical loads with increasing intensity and insufficient energy intake appear to predispose for injury in young female figure skaters. Further examination of injury determinants among competitive figure skaters is highly warranted.

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Sport-Specific Biomechanics of Spinal Injuries in Aesthetic Athletes (Dancers, Gymnasts, and Figure Skaters)

Clinics in Sports Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.csm.2012.03.010 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 397-408 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Pierre A. d'Hemecourt ◽

Anthony Luke

Keyword(s):

Spinal Injuries ◽

Figure Skaters

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Sensitivity of Balancing in Legged Systems Under Torque Constraint Variations

Volume 5B: 42nd Mechanisms and Robotics Conference ◽

10.1115/detc2018-86063 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Gonzalez ◽

Carlotta Mummolo ◽

Joo H. Kim

Keyword(s):

Numerical Experiments ◽

Inverted Pendulum ◽

Stability Boundary ◽

Optimization Theory ◽

System Change ◽

Joint Torque ◽

Inverted Pendulum Model ◽

Pendulum Model ◽

Local Properties ◽

Balance Stability

The balancing capabilities of a legged system can be influenced by several properties of the system itself, for instance, the strength of joint motors in a robot or muscle strength in living systems. In this work, the changes in the balancing capabilities of a legged system are evaluated as the joint actuator torque limits of the system change. The legged system is modeled with an inverted pendulum model with an actuated ankle and a finite foot size. The effect of variations of the ankle torque limits on the system balance stability is quantified through the local properties of Lagrange multipliers in optimization theory and are validated through numerical experiments. With the proposed method, the information on the balance stability boundary of a legged system is used to predict the balance stability characteristics of the system with altered joint torque limits, hence providing quantifiable guidelines to the design of such systems.

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