The impact of footwear choice on foot biomechanics in young adults with considerations to the potential risk of developing foot pathology

Foot pain and pathology can be disabling leading to more complex orthopaedic complaints over time. Footwear is often attributed as a significant factor in the development and persistence of foot pain, yet little is known about the impact everyday footwear choice has on the development of these pathologies and foot biomechanics. The aim of this collection of work is to assess the impact footwear choice has on foot biomechanics. A mixed methods approach has been employed across various publications to investigate the following; choices made when purchasing footwear, the impact footwear structure and styling has on foot mechanics and comfort and the effect of unstable shoes on muscle function. The publications employed literature reviews, qualitative questionnaires, repeated measures and quasi-experimental designs to address the research questions. There is a paucity of research regarding the effects that everyday footwear have on the feet of healthy individuals. A flat ballet pump was found to be the primary shoe of choice for young females with the colour of trainers being selected by sport science students. Altered physical characteristics of the shoe caused elevated dorsal and plantar foot pressure, impaired comfort and altered function. Fashionable exercise shoes were shown to demonstrate a varied effect on muscle activity. The availability of suitably fashionable and functional footwear appears to be severely limited leading to consumers purchasing inappropriate and ill-fitting footwear that may contribute to foot pathology. An extensive review of design, properties and manufacture with specific consideration to pathology in the footwear industry is recommended to improve footwear choice. The publications presented add new knowledge when evaluating consumer choice of footwear and the potentially adverse impact popular female fashion shoes have on foot biomechanics. The results also contribute to a wider understanding of the impact everyday footwear has on foot pathology and help in the application of footwear related treatment and rehabilitation plans

Identifying Gait Abnormalities in Patients with Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To determine the biomechanical gait characteristics and quality of life of adults with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and how their gait compares to the gait of healthy controls. METHODS: Gait analyses were performed on 18 participants (9 FAI, 9 control) while walking barefoot in the Wolf Orthopeadic Biomechanics Lab. In addition, FAI participants completed general and region specific quality of life questionnaires. RESULTS: Hip moment (5.2%BW*ht vs. 4.96%BW*ht), toe out angle (12.36 ° vs. 8.15°), and lateral (3.55° vs. 2.18°) and forward (4.34° vs. 3.93°) pelvic tilt were not statistically different between groups. Trunk lean (1.33° vs. 0.36°), hip flexion angle (25.74° vs. 24.23°), & hip power (1.22W vs. 0.61W; p-value=0.32) were greater in the control group.CONCLUSION: The small sample size of this study does not allow the authors to make conclusions on the abnormalities in gait biomechanics in FAI patients. Further research with larger sample sizes is warranted

Integrated motion ;pressure analysis and its application to normal foot function and diabetes related foot disease

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The effects of motion environments on search and rescue task performance and postural control

The purpose of this master’s thesis was to investigate the risks associated with performing a vigilance task in a simulated moving environment. More specifically, the effects of simulated motion on both postural stability and the performance of a simulated search and rescue (SAR) task. Many offshore occupations are considered strenuous and potentially dangerous in nature due to continuous wave-induced perturbations. These perturbations are responsible for accidents and injuries related to reduced postural stability and increased work-related energy demands. To investigate these potential adverse effects, a single data collection utilized a motion platform and a 360-degree screen which displayed visuals synchronized to platform motions. The results show that performing a SAR task in a simulated moving environment has a significant adverse effect on SAR task performance and postural response. As simulated wave motions increased, there was a decrease in SAR task performance and increased lower limb muscle activations, as well as the number of steps taken. These results indicate the likelihood of increased risk of falls and human factors errors when performing a simulated SAR task in a motion environment

Design and Evaluation of a Novel Ankle Joint for an Ankle Foot Orthosis for Individuals with Drop-Foot

Individuals who have had a stroke often ambulate with an ankle foot orthosis (AFO) to treat drop-foot, a common impairment preventing active ankle dorsiflexion. AFOs limit ankle plantarflexion or drop-foot, but also restrict ankle motion that introduces additional gait pathologies during ambulation. The goal of this study was to design a mechanical ankle joint for an articulated thermoplastic AFO to permit enhanced motion during stance. This novel ankle joint operated in two stages: 1) locked during swing to prevent drop-foot and 2) unlocked during stance to allow motion. This novel ankle joint was first tested with able-bodied subjects to ensure device function and safety, subsequent testing was conducted with post-stroke subjects to determine whether the novel design contributed to functional improvements during walking. Three able-bodied (23-26 years) and three post-stroke individuals (52-67 years) were recruited to complete custom AFO casting, fitting, and testing sessions with conventional and novel orthotic ankle joints. Testing included overground and variable slope treadmill walking trials. These gait analyses incorporated motion capture and kinetic data to calculate spatiotemporal, kinematic, and joint moment data. A survey was administered after testing to determine subject perception of the novel ankle joint in terms of comfort, walking performance, and perceived exertion. Paired t-tests were conducted to identify significant differences between orthotic ankle joint conditions.Significant differences between ankle joint conditions were observed for stance duration, step length, and ankle plantarflexion during swing. Stance duration and step length increased for the paretic limb, and corresponding improved inter-limb symmetry for level and non-level terrain. Ankle plantarflexion during swing with the novel ankle joint was controlled, providing adequate foot clearance and increased ankle range of motion during early stance. These improvements in ankle mobility, however, did not contribute to consistent improvements in hip kinematics, nor significant differences in knee and hip kinetics.Design refinement is recommended to support joint tuning and accommodate greater variation in spring stiffnesses. This novel orthotic ankle joint demonstrates promise and clinical potential to treat post-stroke individuals with drop-foot

The Translocal Event and the Polyrhythmic Diagram

This thesis identifies and analyses the key creative protocols in translocal performance practice, and ends with suggestions for new forms of transversal live and mediated performance practice, informed by theory. It argues that ontologies of emergence in dynamic systems nourish contemporary practice in the digital arts. Feedback in self-organised, recursive systems and organisms elicit change, and change transforms. The arguments trace concepts from chaos and complexity theory to virtual multiplicity, relationality, intuition and individuation (in the work of Bergson, Deleuze, Guattari, Simondon, Massumi, and other process theorists). It then examines the intersection of methodologies in philosophy, science and art and the radical contingencies implicit in the technicity of real-time, collaborative composition. Simultaneous forces or tendencies such as perception/memory, content/ expression and instinct/intellect produce composites (experience, meaning, and intuition- respectively) that affect the sensation of interplay. The translocal event is itself a diagram - an interstice between the forces of the local and the global, between the tendencies of the individual and the collective. The translocal is a point of reference for exploring the distribution of affect, parameters of control and emergent aesthetics. Translocal interplay, enabled by digital technologies and network protocols, is ontogenetic and autopoietic; diagrammatic and synaesthetic; intuitive and transductive. KeyWorx is a software application developed for realtime, distributed, multimodal media processing. As a technological tool created by artists, KeyWorx supports this intuitive type of creative experience: a real-time, translocal “jamming” that transduces the lived experience of a “biogram,” a synaesthetic hinge-dimension. The emerging aesthetics are processual – intuitive, diagrammatic and transversal

The preventable burden of musculoskeletal conditions in Australian musicians

Background: The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSSs) among musicians is reportedly high, and may have a profound impact upon those affected. Most studies have been conducted on university classical music students and professional orchestral musicians, leaving other sub-groups, such as military band musicians and opera singers, under-investigated. Even for these most commonly researched groups, there have been relatively few studies investigating the impact of MSSs, or their preventability in terms of psychosocial and organisational factors potentially associated with MSS outcomes. The central research question in this thesis was: “is there a preventable burden of musculoskeletal conditions among Australian university music students and professional musicians?”. Methods: Data were obtained from two sources: the National Data Set for Compensation-based Statistics, and a targeted questionnaire survey developed specifically for this project. Questionnaire development was informed by a systematic search and narrative review of the types of outcomes and data collection tools used to assess musicians’ MSS outcomes. The questionnaire was distributed to university music students and professional musicians, as well as a reference group of university science students and non-music university staff. The utility of the questionnaire measures was examined using Rasch analysis. Data were analysed using standard statistical methods. Results: Musculoskeletal disorders accounted for the majority of workers’ compensation claims (WCCs) made by musicians (70%), and the majority of costs (78%). Of the musicians surveyed, 90% reported MSSs in the last 12 months, and 57% reported experiencing MSSs in the last 12 months that impaired musical activities. Musculoskeletal symptoms were most common in the upper limb and spinal regions. There was no significant difference in MSS prevalence overall between musicians and the reference groups, however music students reported a higher prevalence of wrist/hand MSSs specifically. Symptomatic music students also reported higher ratings of the emotional impact of MSSs than did science students. A higher proportion of symptomatic female professional musicians reported moderate-severe pain than their university staff counterparts. The majority (82%) of musculoskeletal WCCs made by musicians were attributed to body stressing. All symptomatic musicians surveyed provided at least one perceived cause (of up to three reported) of their MSSs that was likely modifiable or preventable. The most commonly reported such perceived causes were behavioural factors (94%). Psychological distress was identified as the most important modifiable personal factor to address, as it was associated with most MSS outcomes. The evidence for other factors was less consistent, however social support, musical activity time, sitting time, and perceived work effort were associated with specific MSS outcomes. Conclusion: Evidence from this research indicates that there is a preventable burden of musicians’ musculoskeletal conditions. To reduce this burden, interventions should be developed that are directed at psychological distress. The effectiveness of these interventions should be examined with particular reference to MSSs in the upper limb and spinal regions, and to the consequences of having MSSs. If found to be safe and effective, appropriate interventions could be implemented nationally, to reduce the burden of musicians’ musculoskeletal conditions.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Public Health, 201

Foot Motion-Based Falling Risk Evaluation for Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects motor functionalities, which are closely associated with increased risks of falling and decreased quality of life. However, there is no easy-to-use definitive tools for PD patients to quantify their falling risks at home. To address this, in this dissertation, we develop Monitoring Insoles (MONI) with advanced data processing techniques to score falling risks of PD patients following Falling Risk Questionnaire (FRQ) developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To achieve this, we extract motion tasks from daily activities and select the most representative features associated with PD that facilitate accurate falling risk scoring. To address the challenge in uncontrolled daily life environments and to identify the most representative features associated with PD and falling risks, the proposed data processing method firstly recognizes foot motions such as walking and toe tapping from continuous movements with stride detection and fast labeling framework, and then extracts time-axis and acceleration-axis features from the motion tasks, at the end provides a score of falling risks using regression. The data processing method can be integrated into a mobile game to be used at home with MONI. The main contributions of this dissertation includes: (i) developing MONI as a low power solution for daily life use; (ii) utilizing stride detection and developing fast labeling framework for motion recognition that improves recognition accuracy for daily life applications; (iii) analyzing two walking and two toe tapping tasks that are close to real life scenarios and identifying important features associated with PD and falling risks; (iv) providing falling scores as quantitative evaluation to PD patients in daily life through simple foot motion tasks and setups

Voices of USU: An Anthology of Student Writing, 2017

This collection of student writing represents the voices of over 2,000 students who enroll each academic year in Utah State University’s second-year composition course, Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode. Voices of USU celebrates excellence in writing by providing undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds and disciplines the opportunity to have their work published.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/voicesofusu/1008/thumbnail.jp