Sex differences in limb and joint stiffnes in recreational runners

Purpose. Female runners are known to be at greater risk from chronic running injuries than age-matched males, although the exact mechanisms are often poorly understood. The aim of the current investigation was to determine if female recreational runners exhibit distinct limb and joint stiffness characteristics in relation to their male counterparts. Methods. Fourteen male and fourteen female runners ran over a force platform at 4.0 m · s–1. Lower limb kinematics were collected using an eight-camera optoelectric motion capture system operating at 250 Hz. Measures of limb and joint stiffness were calculated as a function of limb length and joint moments divided by the extent of limb and joint excursion. All stiffness and joint moment parameters were normalized to body mass. Sex differences in normalized limb and knee and ankle joint stiffness were examined statistically using independent samples t tests. Results. The results indicate that normalized limb (male = 0.18 ± 0.07, female = 0.37 ± 0.10 kN · kg · m–1) and knee stiffness (male = 5.59 ± 2.02, female = 7.34 ± 1.78 Nm · kg · rad–1) were significantly greater in female runners. Conclusions. On the basis that normalized knee and limb stiffness were shown to be significantly greater in female runners, the findings from the current investigation may provide further insight into the aetiology of the distinct injury patterns observed between sexes

Using stiffness to assess injury risk:comparison of methods for quantifying stiffness and their reliability in triathletes

Background: A review of the literature has indicated that lower body stiffness, defined as the extent to which the lower extremity joints resists deformation upon contact with the ground, may be a useful measure for assessing Achilles injury risk in triathletes. The nature of overuse injuries suggests that a variety of different movement patterns could conceivably contribute to the final injury outcome, any number and combination of which might be observed in a single individual. Measurements which incorporate both kinetics and kinematics (such as stiffness) of a movement may be better able to shed light on individuals at risk of injury, with further analysis then providing the exact mechanism of injury for the individual. Stiffness can be measured as vertical, leg or joint stiffness to model how the individual interacts with the environment upon landing. However, several issues with stiffness assessments limit the effectiveness of these measures to monitor athletes’ performance and/or injury risk. This may reflect the variety of common biomechanical stiffness calculations (dynamic, time, true leg and joint) that have been used to examine these three stiffness levels (vertical, leg and joint) across a variety of human movements (i.e. running or hopping) as well as potential issues with the reliability of these measures, especially joint stiffness. Therefore, the aims of this study were to provide a comparison of the various methods for measuring stiffness during two forms of human bouncing locomotion (running and hopping) along with the measurement reliability to determine the best methods to assess links with injury risk in triathletes. Methods: Vertical, leg and joint stiffness were estimated in 12 healthy male competitive triathletes on two occasions, 7 days apart, using both running at 5.0 ms−1 and hopping (2.2 Hz) tasks. Results: Inter-day reliability was good for vertical (ICC = 0.85) and leg (ICC = 0.98) stiffness using the time method. Joint stiffness reliability was poor when assessed individually. Reliability was improved when taken as the sum of the hip, knee and ankle (ICC = 0.86). The knee and ankle combination provided the best correlation with leg stiffness during running (Pearson’s Correlation = 0.82). Discussion: The dynamic and time methods of calculating leg stiffness had better reliability than the “true” method. The time and dynamic methods had the best correlation with the different combinations of joint stiffness, which suggests that they should be considered for biomechanical screening of triathletes. The knee and ankle combination had the best correlation with leg stiffness and is therefore proposed to provide the most information regarding lower limb mechanics during gait in triathletes

Adjustable hinge permits movement of knee in plaster cast

Metal knee hinge with an adjustable sleeve worn on the outside of a leg cast facilitates movement of the knee joint. This helps eliminate stiffness of the knee and eliminates bulkiness and adjustment difficulty

Penatalaksanaan Infra Merah Dan Terapi Latihan Pada Stiffnes Knee Dextra Post Orif (Plate And Screw) Akibat Fracture Proximal Tibia Dextra

Latar Belakang: Banyak sekali penyebab penyakit, salah satunya dikarenakan oleh trauma yang sering menyebabkan kondisi yang kurang optimal. Akibat dari trauma tersebut adalah gangguan dari fungsi gerak. Contoh gangguan dari fungsi gerak adalah stiffnes knee. Banyak metode yang digunakan untuk mengatasi stiffnes knee antara lain infra merah dan terapi latihan. Pada Karya Tulis Ilmiah ini akan dijelaskan bagaimana peran fisioterapi dalam pelaksanaan masalah pada kasus stiffnes knee dextra Rumusan Masalah: bagaimanakah pemberian infra merah dapat mengurangi nyeri pada kondisi stiffness knee dextra .bagaimanakah pengaruh pemberian terapi latihan terhadap kasus stiffness knee dextra Tujuan: Untuk mengetahui manfaat pemberian infra merah terhadap pengurangan nyeri pada kondisi stiffness knee dextra Untuk mengetahui manfaat terapi latihan untuk mengurangi nyeri,meningkatkan kekuatan otot, menambah LGS pada kasus stiffness knee dextra. Hasil: setelah dilakukan didapatkan hasil adanya pengurangan nyeri gerak dr 60 menjadi 20,nyeri tekan dari 40 menjadi 10,nyeri diam dari 20 menjadi 10 peningkatan lingkup gerak sendi ekstensi 60cm, sedangkan untuk kekuatan otot dari 3 menjadi 5 Kesimpulan: . Infra merah mampu mengurangi nyeri pada Stiffnes knee dextra dan terapi latihan yaitu static contraction, active exercise, hold relaks mampu meningkatkan lingkup gerak sendi dan meningkatkan kekuatan otot pada kondisi stiffnes knee dextra

Comparison of the effect of topical application of Eugenia caryophylata extract and topical diclofenac in primary knee osteoarthritis: a clinical trial study

Background and aims: osteoarthritis is one of the most common arthritis in elderly. we evaluated to compare the effect of topical application of Eugenia caryophylata extract and topical diclofenac in primary knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This randomized double-blind clinical trial study was carried out upon 105 patients with primary knee osteoarthritis. Patients were selected randomly and divided into three groups of 35(diclofenac) and 35 (Eugenia caryophylata) and 35(placebo).The first group was given three times diclofenac 1 of one mg, the second group was given topical caryophylata 10 of one mg three times daily and third group was given placebo 1 mg three times daily. For three groups, WOMAC questionnaire (overall pain, knee pain, morning stiffness, stiffness during day, physical activity ) were completed pretreatment, one week and three and four weeks post-treatment. Findings: The findings indicated that there is a significant decrease in overall pain (p=o.oo5), stiffness during day (p=0.001), morning stiffness (p=0.001) and knee pain (p=0.017) and physical activity (p=0.001) in four weeks after the initiation of treatment in three groups of topical Eugenia caryophylata, diclofenac and placebo . In all the three groups, mean overall score of womac questionnaire was significantly decreased .no side effects related to the intake of medication in three groups was observed. Conclusion: Extract of Eugenia caryophylata is effective in decreasing knee pain, morning stiffness, and stiffness during day and improvement of physical activity in patients with knee osteoarthritis and it can be used alongside of chemical medication to reduce symptoms of knee osteoarthritis

Muscle Damage following Maximal Eccentric Knee Extensions in Males and Females

Aim: To investigate whether there is a sex difference in exercise induced muscle damage. Materials and Method: Vastus Lateralis and patella tendon properties were measured in males and females using ultrasonography. During maximal voluntary eccentric knee extensions (12 reps x 6 sets), Vastus Lateralis fascicle lengthening and maximal voluntary eccentric knee extensions torque were recorded every 10° of knee joint angle (20–90°). Isometric torque, Creatine Kinase and muscle soreness were measured pre, post, 48, 96 and 168 hours post damage as markers of exercise induced muscle damage. Results: Patella tendon stiffness and Vastus Lateralis fascicle lengthening were significantly higher in males compared to females (p0.05). Creatine Kinase levels post exercise induced muscle damage were higher in males compared to females (p<0.05), and remained higher when maximal voluntary eccentric knee extension torque, relative to estimated quadriceps anatomical cross sectional area, was taken as a covariate (p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on isometric torque loss, there is no sex difference in exercise induced muscle damage. The higher Creatine Kinase in males could not be explained by differences in maximal voluntary eccentric knee extension torque, Vastus Lateralis fascicle lengthening and patella tendon stiffness. Further research is required to understand the significant sex differences in Creatine Kinase levels following exercise induced muscle damage

Design of an Elastic Actuation System for a Gait-Assistive Active Orthosis for Incomplete Spinal Cord Injured Subjects

A spinal cord injury severely reduces the quality of life of affected people. Following the injury, limitations of the ability to move may occur due to the disruption of the motor and sensory functions of the nervous system depending on the severity of the lesion. An active stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthosis was developed and tested in earlier works to aid incomplete SCI subjects by increasing their mobility and independence. This thesis aims at the incorporation of elastic actuation into the active orthosis to utilise advantages of the compliant system regarding efficiency and human-robot interaction as well as the reproduction of the phyisological compliance of the human joints. Therefore, a model-based procedure is adapted to the design of an elastic actuation system for a gait-assisitve active orthosis. A determination of the optimal structure and parameters is undertaken via optimisation of models representing compliant actuators with increasing level of detail. The minimisation of the energy calculated from the positive amount of power or from the absolute power of the actuator generating one human-like gait cycle yields an optimal series stiffness, which is similar to the physiological stiffness of the human knee during the stance phase. Including efficiency factors for components, especially the consideration of the electric model of an electric motor yields additional information. A human-like gait cycle contains high torque and low velocities in the stance phase and lower torque combined with high velocities during the swing. Hence, the efficiency of an electric motor with a gear unit is only high in one of the phases. This yields a conceptual design of a series elastic actuator with locking of the actuator position during the stance phase. The locked position combined with the series compliance allows a reproduction of the characteristics of the human gait cycle during the stance phase. Unlocking the actuator position for the swing phase enables the selection of an optimal gear ratio to maximise the recuperable energy. To evaluate the developed concept, a laboratory specimen based on an electric motor, a harmonic drive gearbox, a torsional series spring and an electromagnetic brake is designed and appropriate components are selected. A control strategy, based on impedance control, is investigated and extended with a finite state machine to activate the locking mechanism. The control scheme and the laboratory specimen are implemented at a test bench, modelling the foot and shank as a pendulum articulated at the knee. An identification of parameters yields high and nonlinear friction as a problem of the system, which reduces the energy efficiency of the system and requires appropriate compensation. A comparison between direct and elastic actuation shows similar results for both systems at the test bench, showing that the increased complexity due to the second degree of freedom and the elastic behaviour of the actuator is treated properly. The final proof of concept requires the implementation at the active orthosis to emulate uncertainties and variations occurring during the human gait

Running Injuries Due to Strike Patterns

Running is a very repetitive activity that can lead to surmountable stresses to the body over time that could lead to injury. Running biomechanics can influence the effects that the body will experience. This paper will discuss the biomechanical effects that relate to two different strike patterns: rearfoot and forefoot. Research will be examined as to how the strike patterns can influence the major lower extremity joints: ankle, knee, and hip. Common injuries during running as related to strike pattern are also discussed through conclusions based on research studies

Gender differences in limb and joint stiffness during the fencing lunge

The aim of the current investigation was to examine gender differences in limb and joint stiffness characteristics during the fencing lunge. Ten male and ten female fencers completed simulated lunge movements. Lower limb kinematics were collected using an eight camera optoelectric motion capture system which operated at 250 Hz. Measures of limb and joint stiffness were calculated as a function of limb length and joint moments divided by the extent of limb and joint excursion. Gender differences in limb joint stiffness parameters were examined statistically using independent samples t-tests. The results showed firstly that both limb (male = 64.22 ±19.12, female = 75.09 ±22.15 N.kg.m) and hip stiffness (male = 10.50 ±6.00, female = 25.89 ±15.01 Nm.kg.rad) were significantly greater in female fencers. In addition it was also demonstrated that knee moment (male = 1.64 ±0.23, female = 2.00 ±0.75 Nm.kg) was significantly larger in females. On the basis of these observations, the findings from the current investigation may provide further insight into the aetiology of the distinct injury patterns observed between genders in relation to fencing