The effects of ankle protectors on lower limb kinematics in male football players: a comparison to braced and unbraced ankles

Football (soccer) players have a high risk of injuring the lower extremities. To reduce the risk of ankle inversion injuries ankle braces can be worn. To reduce the risk of ankle contusion injuries ankle protectors can be utilised. However, athletes can only wear one of these devices at a time. The effects of ankle braces on stance limb kinematics has been extensively researched, however ankle protectors have had little attention. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of ankle protectors on lower extremity kinematics during the stance phase of jogging and compare them with braced and uncovered ankles. Twelve male participants ran at 3.4 m/s in three test conditions; ankle braces (BRACE), ankle protectors (PROTECTOR) and with uncovered ankles (WITHOUT). Stance phase kinematics were collected using an eight-camera motion capture system. Kinematic data between conditions were analysed using one-way repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed that BRACE (absolute range of motion (ROM) = 10.72° and relative ROM = 10.26°) significantly (P<0.05) restricted the ankle in the coronal plane when compared to PROTECTOR (absolute ROM=13.44° and relative ROM =12.82°) and WITHOUT (absolute ROM=13.64° and relative ROM=13.10°). It was also found that both BRACE (peak dorsiflexion=17.02° and absolute ROM=38.34°) and PROTECTOR (peak dorsiflexion =18.46° and absolute ROM =40.15°) significantly (P<0.05) reduced sagittal plane motion when compared to WITHOUT (peak dorsiflexion =19.20° and absolute ROM =42.66°). Ankle protectors’ effects on lower limb kinematics closely resemble that of an unbraced ankle. Therefore, ankle protectors should only be used as a means to reduce risk of ankle contusion injuries and not implemented as a method to reduce the risk of ankle inversion injuries. Furthermore, the reductions found in sagittal plane motion of the ankle could possibly increase the bodies energy demand needed for locomotion when ankle protectors are utilised.

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Kinematic Adaptations of Forward and Backward Walking on Land and in Water

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.1515/hukin-2015-0104 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 15-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Cristina Cadenas-Sanchez ◽

Raúl Arellano ◽

Jos Vanrenterghem ◽

Gracia López-Contreras

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Sagittal Plane ◽

Body Height ◽

Step Length ◽

Initial Contact ◽

Step Frequency ◽

Backward Walking ◽

Limb Kinematics ◽

Lower Limb Kinematics

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare sagittal plane lower limb kinematics during walking on land and submerged to the hip in water. Eight healthy adults (age 22.1 ± 1.1 years, body height 174.8 ± 7.1 cm, body mass 63.4 ± 6.2 kg) were asked to cover a distance of 10 m at comfortable speed with controlled step frequency, walking forward or backward. Sagittal plane lower limb kinematics were obtained from three dimensional video analysis to compare spatiotemporal gait parameters and joint angles at selected events using two-way repeated measures ANOVA. Key findings were a reduced walking speed, stride length, step length and a support phase in water, and step length asymmetry was higher compared to the land condition (p<0.05). At initial contact, knees and hips were more flexed during walking forward in water, whilst, ankles were more dorsiflexed during walking backward in water. At final stance, knees and ankles were more flexed during forward walking, whilst the hip was more flexed during backward walking. These results show how walking in water differs from walking on land, and provide valuable insights into the development and prescription of rehabilitation and training programs.

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Estimating Lower Limb Kinematics Using a Lie Group Constrained Extended Kalman Filter with a Reduced Wearable IMU Count and Distance Measurements

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20236829 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (23) ◽

pp. 6829

Author(s):

Luke Wicent F. Sy ◽

Nigel H. Lovell ◽

Stephen J. Redmond

Keyword(s):

Kalman Filter ◽

Extended Kalman Filter ◽

Lie Group ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Sagittal Plane ◽

Ultra Wideband ◽

Distance Measurements ◽

Limb Kinematics ◽

Mean Square Errors ◽

Lower Limb Kinematics

Tracking the kinematics of human movement usually requires the use of equipment that constrains the user within a room (e.g., optical motion capture systems), or requires the use of a conspicuous body-worn measurement system (e.g., inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached to each body segment). This paper presents a novel Lie group constrained extended Kalman filter to estimate lower limb kinematics using IMU and inter-IMU distance measurements in a reduced sensor count configuration. The algorithm iterates through the prediction (kinematic equations), measurement (pelvis height assumption/inter-IMU distance measurements, zero velocity update for feet/ankles, flat-floor assumption for feet/ankles, and covariance limiter), and constraint update (formulation of hinged knee joints and ball-and-socket hip joints). The knee and hip joint angle root-mean-square errors in the sagittal plane for straight walking were 7.6±2.6∘ and 6.6±2.7∘, respectively, while the correlation coefficients were 0.95±0.03 and 0.87±0.16, respectively. Furthermore, experiments using simulated inter-IMU distance measurements show that performance improved substantially for dynamic movements, even at large noise levels (σ=0.2 m). However, further validation is recommended with actual distance measurement sensors, such as ultra-wideband ranging sensors.

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Influence of cross-fit footwear on patellofemoral kinetics during running activities

Comparative Exercise Physiology ◽

10.3920/cep160021 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 105-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J.K. Sinclair ◽

P.J. Taylor ◽

B. Sant

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Camera Motion ◽

Repeated Measures Anova ◽

Joint Pathology ◽

Limb Kinematics ◽

Analysis System ◽

Camera Motion Analysis ◽

Lower Limb Kinematics ◽

Reduced Risk ◽

Modelling Approach

The aim of this work was to examine the effects of barefoot, cross-fit, minimalist and conventional footwear on patellofemoral loading during running. Twelve cross-fit athletes ran at 4.0 m/s in each of the four footwear conditions. Lower limb kinematics were collected using an 8 camera motion analysis system and patellofemoral loading was estimated using a mathematical modelling approach. Differences between footwear were examined using one-way repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed the peak patellofemoral force and stress were significantly reduced when running barefoot (force = 3.42 BW & stress = 10.71 MPa) and in minimalist footwear (force = 3.73 BW & stress = 11.64 MPa) compared to conventional (force = 4.12 BW & stress = 12.69 MPa) and cross-fit (force = 3.97 BW & stress = 12.30 MPa) footwear. In addition, the findings also showed that patellofemoral impulse was significantly reduced when running barefoot (0.35 BW·s) and in minimalist footwear (0.36 BW·s) compared to conventional (0.42 BW·s) and cross-fit (0.38 BW·s) footwear. Given the proposed association between patellofemoral loading and patellofemoral disorders, the outcomes from the current investigation suggest that cross-fit athletes who select barefoot and minimalist footwear for their running activities may be at reduced risk from patellofemoral joint pathology in comparison to conventional and cross-fit footwear conditions.

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Duty Factor Reflects Lower Limb Kinematics of Running

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10248818 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (24) ◽

pp. 8818

Author(s):

Aurélien Patoz ◽

Thibault Lussiana ◽

Adrien Thouvenot ◽

Laurent Mourot ◽

Cyrille Gindre

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Sagittal Plane ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Vertical Displacement ◽

Duty Factor ◽

Whole Body ◽

Limb Kinematics ◽

The One ◽

Kinematic Mechanisms ◽

Lower Limb Kinematics

The aim was to identify the differences in lower limb kinematics used by high (DFhigh) and low (DFlow) duty factor (DF) runners, particularly their sagittal plane (hip, knee, and ankle) joint angles and pelvis and foot segment angles during stance. Fifty-nine runners were divided in two DF groups based on their mean DF measured across a range of speeds. Temporal characteristics and whole-body three-dimensional kinematics of the running step were recorded from treadmill runs at 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 km/h. Across speeds, DFhigh runners, which limit vertical displacement of the COM and promote forward propulsion, exhibited more lower limb flexion than DFlow during the ground contact time and were rearfoot strikers. On the contrary, DFlow runners used a more extended lower limb than DFhigh due to a stiffer leg and were midfoot and forefoot strikers. Therefore, two different lower limb kinematic mechanisms are involved in running and the one of an individual is reflected by the DF.

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Stable Coordination Variability in Overground Walking and Running at Preferred and Fixed Speeds

Journal of Applied Biomechanics ◽

10.1123/jab.2020-0368 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Hannah E. Wyatt ◽

Gillian Weir ◽

Carl Jewell ◽

Richard E.A. van Emmerik ◽

Joseph Hamill

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Stance Phase ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Human Locomotion ◽

Overground Walking ◽

Vector Coding ◽

Limb Kinematics ◽

Recreational Runners ◽

Lower Limb Kinematics ◽

Insufficient Number

Coordination variability (CV) is commonly analyzed to understand dynamical qualities of human locomotion. The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines for the number of trials required to inform the calculation of a stable mean lower limb CV during overground locomotion. Three-dimensional lower limb kinematics were captured for 10 recreational runners performing 20 trials each of preferred and fixed speed walking and running. Stance phase CV was calculated for 9 segment and joint couplings using a modified vector coding technique. The number of trials required to achieve a CV mean within 10% of 20 strides average was determined for each coupling and individual. The statistical outputs of mode (walking vs running) and speed (preferred vs fixed) were compared when informed by differing numbers of trials. A minimum of 11 trials were required for stable mean stance phase CV. With fewer than 11 trials, CV was underestimated and led to an oversight of significant differences between mode and speed. Future overground locomotion CV research in healthy populations using a vector coding approach should use 11 trials as a standard minimum. Researchers should be aware of the notable consequences of an insufficient number of trials for overall study findings.

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The Influence of Minimalist and Maximalist Footwear on Patellofemoral Kinetics During Running

Journal of Applied Biomechanics ◽

10.1123/jab.2015-0249 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 359-364 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Jonathan Sinclair ◽

Jim Richards ◽

James Selfe ◽

James Fau-Goodwin ◽

Hannah Shore

Keyword(s):

Motion Capture ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Patellofemoral Joint ◽

Musculoskeletal Modeling ◽

Camera Motion ◽

Motion Capture System ◽

Current Investigation ◽

Limb Kinematics ◽

Pain Symptoms ◽

Lower Limb Kinematics

The current study aimed to comparatively examine the effects of minimalist, maximalist, and conventional footwear on the loads experienced by the patellofemoral joint during running. Twenty male participants ran over a force platform at 4.0 m×s–1. Lower limb kinematics were collected using an 8-camera motion capture system allowing patellofemoral kinetics to be quantified using a musculoskeletal modeling approach. Differences in patellofemoral kinetic parameters were examined using one-way repeatedmeasures ANOVA. The results showed the peak patellofemoral force and pressure were significantly larger in conventional (4.70 ± 0.91 BW, 13.34 ± 2.43 MPa) and maximalist (4.74 ± 0.88 BW, 13.59 ± 2.63 MPa) compared with minimalist footwear (3.87 ± 1.00 BW, 11.59 ± 2.63 MPa). It was also revealed that patellofemoral force per mile was significantly larger in conventional (246.81 ± 53.21 BW) and maximalist (251.94 ± 59.17 BW) as compared with minimalist (227.77 ± 58.60 BW) footwear. As excessive loading of the patellofemoral joint has been associated with the etiology of patellofemoral pain symptoms, the current investigation indicates that minimalist footwear may be able reduce runners’ susceptibility to patellofemoral disorders.

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