O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar as respostas cardiorrespiratórias, neuromusculares e cinéticas de mulheres realizando exercícios de hidroginástica em diferentes intensidades de esforço. No estudo I, 20 mulheres jovens (24,0 ± 2,5 anos; 163,3 ± 6,7 cm; 60,0 ± 6,7 kg) realizaram quatro sessões de testes progressivos, três correspondentes aos testes aquáticos (corrida estacionária (CE), chute frontal (CF), deslize frontal (DF)) e uma correspondente ao teste em esteira terrestre (EST), com o intuito de determinar e comparar as respostas de frequência cardíaca (FC), consumo de oxigênio ( 2 VO ) e ventilação (Ve ) no primeiro limiar ventilatório (LV1), no segundo limiar ventilatório (LV2) e no máximo esforço (MAX). No estudo II, 15 participantes da amostra realizaram duas sessões, uma no meio aquático (MA) e outra no meio terrestre (MT). O protocolo de testes consistiu na execução dos três exercícios de hidroginástica nas três intensidades pré-determinadas (LV1, LV2 e MAX) com o intuito de determinar o valor de pico da força de reação do solo vertical (Fzpico) e o impulso (IMP). No estudo III, 12 participantes da amostra realizaram uma sessão correspondente ao protocolo experimental, que consistia na execução dos três exercícios de hidroginástica nas três intensidades de esforço previamente avaliadas, com o intuito de determinar as respostas de 2 VO , atividade eletromiográfica (EMG) dos músculos reto femoral (RF), semitendinoso (ST), vasto lateral (VL), porção curta do bíceps femoral (BF), tibial anterior (TA) e gastrocnêmio lateral (GL) e a Fzpico. ANOVA para medidas repetidas de um, dois e três fatores foram utilizadas (α = 0,05). Ao comparar as respostas cardiorrespiratórias entre protocolos de testes progressivos, não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os exercícios aquáticos para nenhuma das intensidades. No entanto, o protocolo em EST apresentou valores significativamente maiores de FC em todas as intensidades, de 2 VO nas intensidades LV2 e MAX, e de Ve na intensidade LV2. Ao analisar a força de reação do solo, respostas significativamente maiores para Fzpico e IMP foram verificadas para MT comparado a MA. Diferenças significativas foram observadas entre todas as intensidades para Fzpico e IMP no MT, e IMP no MA. Todavia, diferenças significativas foram observadas somente entre LV1 e as demais intensidades para Fzpico no MA. Além disso, no MA, valores de Fzpico significativamente menores foram observados entre o exercício DF e os demais exercícios. Para o sinal EMG, valores significativamente maiores foram observados para CF e menores para CE na atividade de todos os músculos, exceto TA que apresentou maiores respostas para DF comparado aos demais. Além disso, diferenças significativas entre as intensidades foram observadas para todos os grupos musculares. A partir dos resultados, conclui-se que, em um programa de treinamento de hidroginástica, existe a necessidade de realizar-se testes máximos específicos nos exercícios aquáticos, uma vez que as respostas de FC, 2 VO e Ve apresentaram diferenças entre os exercícios de hidroginástica analisados e EST. Outro fator a ser levado em consideração é a escolha da intensidade e dos exercícios a serem prescritos. Se o objetivo for amenizar a ação da Fzpico, exercícios com as características do DF devem ser priorizados, sendo importante salientar que o mesmo apresenta uma intensa atividade neuromuscular para todos os músculos analisados, exceto GL. Além disso, intensidades correspondentes ao LV1 devem ser utilizadas a fim de minimizar a Fzpico, todavia, nessa intensidade a atividade neuromuscular foi significativamente menor para todos os exercícios e músculos analisados. Por outro lado, se o objetivo é trabalhar com altas intensidades, não existe diferença entre a Fzpico correspondente ao esforço máximo e LV2, logo a intensidade máxima pode ser utilizada com a mesma segurança que LV2, apresentando um menor IMP e uma maior ativação EMG para todos os grupos musculares analisados. No entanto, se o objetivo for minimizar a ativação muscular, sugere-se o uso do exercício CE, uma vez que ele pode ser utilizado nas aulas de hidroginástica com a mesma intensidade cardiorrespiratória que os demais exercícios avaliados, induzindo a uma menor fadiga periférica. / The aim of the present study was to analyze the cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular and kinetic responses of women performing water aerobic exercises at different effort intensities. In study I, 20 young women (24.0 ± 2.5 years; 163.3 ± 6.7 cm; 60.0 ± 6.7 kg) performed four progressive test sessions, three corresponding to aquatic tests (stationary running (SR), frontal kick (FK), cross country skiing (CCS)) and one to treadmill (TRE), with the purpose of determining and comparing the heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake ( 2 VO ) and ventilation (Ve ) responses at the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), second ventilatory threshold (VT2) and maximal effort (MAX). In study II, a sample of 15 participants performed two sessions, one in water immersion (WI) and the other on dry land (DL). The test protocol consisted of three water aerobic exercises performed at three pre-determined intensities (VT1, VT2 and MAX) with the purpose of determining the peak vertical ground reaction forces (Fzpeak) and impulse (IMP). In study III, a sample of 12 participants performed one session corresponding to the experimental protocol, which consisted of three water aerobic exercises performed at the three previously evaluated effort intensities, with the purpose of determining the VO2 , electromyographic activity (EMG) of rectus femoris (RF), semitendinosus (ST), vastus lateralis (VL), short head of biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL), and the Fzpeak. One-way, two-way and three-way repeated measures ANOVA were used (α = 0.05). Regarding cardiorespiratory responses to the progressive test protocols, there were no significant differences between aquatic exercises at any intensity. However, the TRE protocol showed significantly higher HR at all intensities, VO2 at intensities corresponding to VT2 and MAX, and Ve at VT2. Analyzing the ground reaction forces, significantly higher values of Fzpeak and IMP were observed for DL compared to WI. It was observed significant difference between all intensities for Fzpeak and IMP on DL, and for IMP in WI. Nevertheless, a difference was observed between VT1 and higher intensities for Fzpeak in WI. In addition, in WI significantly lower Fzpeak values were observed for CCS compared to the other exercises. Regarding the EMG signal, significantly higher muscle activity was found for the FK, and lower for the SR, except in the TA muscle, which presented higher responses for the CCS compared to the other exercises. Moreover, there were significant differences between intensities for all muscle groups. According to the results, it might be concluded that, during water aerobics training is important to perform specific maximal tests in the aquatic exercises, since the HR, VO2 and Ve responses presented differences between water aerobic exercises and TRE. Another important issue that must be considered is the exercise and intensity to be prescribed. Exercises with similar characteristics to the CCS must be priorized if the aim is to attenuate the Fzpeak action, as it is important to highlight that this exercise presents intense neuromuscular activity in all the analyzed muscles, with the exception of GL. In order to minimize the Fzpeak, intensities corresponding to VT1 must be performed. However, the neuromuscular activity was significantly lower for all exercises and muscles analyzed at VT1. On the other hand, there is no difference in the Fzpeak between MAX and VT2; thus the maximal intensity is as safe to use as the VT2, with lower IMP and higher EMG activation in all the analyzed muscle groups. Notwithstanding, if the aim is to minimize the muscular activation, SR is recommended since it can be used during water aerobics with a similar cardiorespiratory intensity to the other evaluated exercises, while inducing lower peripherical fatigue.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar as respostas cardiorrespiratórias, neuromusculares e cinéticas de mulheres realizando exercícios de hidroginástica em diferentes intensidades de esforço. No estudo I, 20 mulheres jovens (24,0 ± 2,5 anos; 163,3 ± 6,7 cm; 60,0 ± 6,7 kg) realizaram quatro sessões de testes progressivos, três correspondentes aos testes aquáticos (corrida estacionária (CE), chute frontal (CF), deslize frontal (DF)) e uma correspondente ao teste em esteira terrestre (EST), com o intuito de determinar e comparar as respostas de frequência cardíaca (FC), consumo de oxigênio ( 2 VO ) e ventilação (Ve ) no primeiro limiar ventilatório (LV1), no segundo limiar ventilatório (LV2) e no máximo esforço (MAX). No estudo II, 15 participantes da amostra realizaram duas sessões, uma no meio aquático (MA) e outra no meio terrestre (MT). O protocolo de testes consistiu na execução dos três exercícios de hidroginástica nas três intensidades pré-determinadas (LV1, LV2 e MAX) com o intuito de determinar o valor de pico da força de reação do solo vertical (Fzpico) e o impulso (IMP). No estudo III, 12 participantes da amostra realizaram uma sessão correspondente ao protocolo experimental, que consistia na execução dos três exercícios de hidroginástica nas três intensidades de esforço previamente avaliadas, com o intuito de determinar as respostas de 2 VO , atividade eletromiográfica (EMG) dos músculos reto femoral (RF), semitendinoso (ST), vasto lateral (VL), porção curta do bíceps femoral (BF), tibial anterior (TA) e gastrocnêmio lateral (GL) e a Fzpico. ANOVA para medidas repetidas de um, dois e três fatores foram utilizadas (α = 0,05). Ao comparar as respostas cardiorrespiratórias entre protocolos de testes progressivos, não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os exercícios aquáticos para nenhuma das intensidades. No entanto, o protocolo em EST apresentou valores significativamente maiores de FC em todas as intensidades, de 2 VO nas intensidades LV2 e MAX, e de Ve na intensidade LV2. Ao analisar a força de reação do solo, respostas significativamente maiores para Fzpico e IMP foram verificadas para MT comparado a MA. Diferenças significativas foram observadas entre todas as intensidades para Fzpico e IMP no MT, e IMP no MA. Todavia, diferenças significativas foram observadas somente entre LV1 e as demais intensidades para Fzpico no MA. Além disso, no MA, valores de Fzpico significativamente menores foram observados entre o exercício DF e os demais exercícios. Para o sinal EMG, valores significativamente maiores foram observados para CF e menores para CE na atividade de todos os músculos, exceto TA que apresentou maiores respostas para DF comparado aos demais. Além disso, diferenças significativas entre as intensidades foram observadas para todos os grupos musculares. A partir dos resultados, conclui-se que, em um programa de treinamento de hidroginástica, existe a necessidade de realizar-se testes máximos específicos nos exercícios aquáticos, uma vez que as respostas de FC, 2 VO e Ve apresentaram diferenças entre os exercícios de hidroginástica analisados e EST. Outro fator a ser levado em consideração é a escolha da intensidade e dos exercícios a serem prescritos. Se o objetivo for amenizar a ação da Fzpico, exercícios com as características do DF devem ser priorizados, sendo importante salientar que o mesmo apresenta uma intensa atividade neuromuscular para todos os músculos analisados, exceto GL. Além disso, intensidades correspondentes ao LV1 devem ser utilizadas a fim de minimizar a Fzpico, todavia, nessa intensidade a atividade neuromuscular foi significativamente menor para todos os exercícios e músculos analisados. Por outro lado, se o objetivo é trabalhar com altas intensidades, não existe diferença entre a Fzpico correspondente ao esforço máximo e LV2, logo a intensidade máxima pode ser utilizada com a mesma segurança que LV2, apresentando um menor IMP e uma maior ativação EMG para todos os grupos musculares analisados. No entanto, se o objetivo for minimizar a ativação muscular, sugere-se o uso do exercício CE, uma vez que ele pode ser utilizado nas aulas de hidroginástica com a mesma intensidade cardiorrespiratória que os demais exercícios avaliados, induzindo a uma menor fadiga periférica. / The aim of the present study was to analyze the cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular and kinetic responses of women performing water aerobic exercises at different effort intensities. In study I, 20 young women (24.0 ± 2.5 years; 163.3 ± 6.7 cm; 60.0 ± 6.7 kg) performed four progressive test sessions, three corresponding to aquatic tests (stationary running (SR), frontal kick (FK), cross country skiing (CCS)) and one to treadmill (TRE), with the purpose of determining and comparing the heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake ( 2 VO ) and ventilation (Ve ) responses at the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), second ventilatory threshold (VT2) and maximal effort (MAX). In study II, a sample of 15 participants performed two sessions, one in water immersion (WI) and the other on dry land (DL). The test protocol consisted of three water aerobic exercises performed at three pre-determined intensities (VT1, VT2 and MAX) with the purpose of determining the peak vertical ground reaction forces (Fzpeak) and impulse (IMP). In study III, a sample of 12 participants performed one session corresponding to the experimental protocol, which consisted of three water aerobic exercises performed at the three previously evaluated effort intensities, with the purpose of determining the VO2 , electromyographic activity (EMG) of rectus femoris (RF), semitendinosus (ST), vastus lateralis (VL), short head of biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL), and the Fzpeak. One-way, two-way and three-way repeated measures ANOVA were used (α = 0.05). Regarding cardiorespiratory responses to the progressive test protocols, there were no significant differences between aquatic exercises at any intensity. However, the TRE protocol showed significantly higher HR at all intensities, VO2 at intensities corresponding to VT2 and MAX, and Ve at VT2. Analyzing the ground reaction forces, significantly higher values of Fzpeak and IMP were observed for DL compared to WI. It was observed significant difference between all intensities for Fzpeak and IMP on DL, and for IMP in WI. Nevertheless, a difference was observed between VT1 and higher intensities for Fzpeak in WI. In addition, in WI significantly lower Fzpeak values were observed for CCS compared to the other exercises. Regarding the EMG signal, significantly higher muscle activity was found for the FK, and lower for the SR, except in the TA muscle, which presented higher responses for the CCS compared to the other exercises. Moreover, there were significant differences between intensities for all muscle groups. According to the results, it might be concluded that, during water aerobics training is important to perform specific maximal tests in the aquatic exercises, since the HR, VO2 and Ve responses presented differences between water aerobic exercises and TRE. Another important issue that must be considered is the exercise and intensity to be prescribed. Exercises with similar characteristics to the CCS must be priorized if the aim is to attenuate the Fzpeak action, as it is important to highlight that this exercise presents intense neuromuscular activity in all the analyzed muscles, with the exception of GL. In order to minimize the Fzpeak, intensities corresponding to VT1 must be performed. However, the neuromuscular activity was significantly lower for all exercises and muscles analyzed at VT1. On the other hand, there is no difference in the Fzpeak between MAX and VT2; thus the maximal intensity is as safe to use as the VT2, with lower IMP and higher EMG activation in all the analyzed muscle groups. Notwithstanding, if the aim is to minimize the muscular activation, SR is recommended since it can be used during water aerobics with a similar cardiorespiratory intensity to the other evaluated exercises, while inducing lower peripherical fatigue.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar as respostas cardiorrespiratórias, neuromusculares e cinéticas de mulheres realizando exercícios de hidroginástica em diferentes intensidades de esforço. No estudo I, 20 mulheres jovens (24,0 ± 2,5 anos; 163,3 ± 6,7 cm; 60,0 ± 6,7 kg) realizaram quatro sessões de testes progressivos, três correspondentes aos testes aquáticos (corrida estacionária (CE), chute frontal (CF), deslize frontal (DF)) e uma correspondente ao teste em esteira terrestre (EST), com o intuito de determinar e comparar as respostas de frequência cardíaca (FC), consumo de oxigênio ( 2 VO ) e ventilação (Ve ) no primeiro limiar ventilatório (LV1), no segundo limiar ventilatório (LV2) e no máximo esforço (MAX). No estudo II, 15 participantes da amostra realizaram duas sessões, uma no meio aquático (MA) e outra no meio terrestre (MT). O protocolo de testes consistiu na execução dos três exercícios de hidroginástica nas três intensidades pré-determinadas (LV1, LV2 e MAX) com o intuito de determinar o valor de pico da força de reação do solo vertical (Fzpico) e o impulso (IMP). No estudo III, 12 participantes da amostra realizaram uma sessão correspondente ao protocolo experimental, que consistia na execução dos três exercícios de hidroginástica nas três intensidades de esforço previamente avaliadas, com o intuito de determinar as respostas de 2 VO , atividade eletromiográfica (EMG) dos músculos reto femoral (RF), semitendinoso (ST), vasto lateral (VL), porção curta do bíceps femoral (BF), tibial anterior (TA) e gastrocnêmio lateral (GL) e a Fzpico. ANOVA para medidas repetidas de um, dois e três fatores foram utilizadas (α = 0,05). Ao comparar as respostas cardiorrespiratórias entre protocolos de testes progressivos, não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os exercícios aquáticos para nenhuma das intensidades. No entanto, o protocolo em EST apresentou valores significativamente maiores de FC em todas as intensidades, de 2 VO nas intensidades LV2 e MAX, e de Ve na intensidade LV2. Ao analisar a força de reação do solo, respostas significativamente maiores para Fzpico e IMP foram verificadas para MT comparado a MA. Diferenças significativas foram observadas entre todas as intensidades para Fzpico e IMP no MT, e IMP no MA. Todavia, diferenças significativas foram observadas somente entre LV1 e as demais intensidades para Fzpico no MA. Além disso, no MA, valores de Fzpico significativamente menores foram observados entre o exercício DF e os demais exercícios. Para o sinal EMG, valores significativamente maiores foram observados para CF e menores para CE na atividade de todos os músculos, exceto TA que apresentou maiores respostas para DF comparado aos demais. Além disso, diferenças significativas entre as intensidades foram observadas para todos os grupos musculares. A partir dos resultados, conclui-se que, em um programa de treinamento de hidroginástica, existe a necessidade de realizar-se testes máximos específicos nos exercícios aquáticos, uma vez que as respostas de FC, 2 VO e Ve apresentaram diferenças entre os exercícios de hidroginástica analisados e EST. Outro fator a ser levado em consideração é a escolha da intensidade e dos exercícios a serem prescritos. Se o objetivo for amenizar a ação da Fzpico, exercícios com as características do DF devem ser priorizados, sendo importante salientar que o mesmo apresenta uma intensa atividade neuromuscular para todos os músculos analisados, exceto GL. Além disso, intensidades correspondentes ao LV1 devem ser utilizadas a fim de minimizar a Fzpico, todavia, nessa intensidade a atividade neuromuscular foi significativamente menor para todos os exercícios e músculos analisados. Por outro lado, se o objetivo é trabalhar com altas intensidades, não existe diferença entre a Fzpico correspondente ao esforço máximo e LV2, logo a intensidade máxima pode ser utilizada com a mesma segurança que LV2, apresentando um menor IMP e uma maior ativação EMG para todos os grupos musculares analisados. No entanto, se o objetivo for minimizar a ativação muscular, sugere-se o uso do exercício CE, uma vez que ele pode ser utilizado nas aulas de hidroginástica com a mesma intensidade cardiorrespiratória que os demais exercícios avaliados, induzindo a uma menor fadiga periférica. / The aim of the present study was to analyze the cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular and kinetic responses of women performing water aerobic exercises at different effort intensities. In study I, 20 young women (24.0 ± 2.5 years; 163.3 ± 6.7 cm; 60.0 ± 6.7 kg) performed four progressive test sessions, three corresponding to aquatic tests (stationary running (SR), frontal kick (FK), cross country skiing (CCS)) and one to treadmill (TRE), with the purpose of determining and comparing the heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake ( 2 VO ) and ventilation (Ve ) responses at the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), second ventilatory threshold (VT2) and maximal effort (MAX). In study II, a sample of 15 participants performed two sessions, one in water immersion (WI) and the other on dry land (DL). The test protocol consisted of three water aerobic exercises performed at three pre-determined intensities (VT1, VT2 and MAX) with the purpose of determining the peak vertical ground reaction forces (Fzpeak) and impulse (IMP). In study III, a sample of 12 participants performed one session corresponding to the experimental protocol, which consisted of three water aerobic exercises performed at the three previously evaluated effort intensities, with the purpose of determining the VO2 , electromyographic activity (EMG) of rectus femoris (RF), semitendinosus (ST), vastus lateralis (VL), short head of biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL), and the Fzpeak. One-way, two-way and three-way repeated measures ANOVA were used (α = 0.05). Regarding cardiorespiratory responses to the progressive test protocols, there were no significant differences between aquatic exercises at any intensity. However, the TRE protocol showed significantly higher HR at all intensities, VO2 at intensities corresponding to VT2 and MAX, and Ve at VT2. Analyzing the ground reaction forces, significantly higher values of Fzpeak and IMP were observed for DL compared to WI. It was observed significant difference between all intensities for Fzpeak and IMP on DL, and for IMP in WI. Nevertheless, a difference was observed between VT1 and higher intensities for Fzpeak in WI. In addition, in WI significantly lower Fzpeak values were observed for CCS compared to the other exercises. Regarding the EMG signal, significantly higher muscle activity was found for the FK, and lower for the SR, except in the TA muscle, which presented higher responses for the CCS compared to the other exercises. Moreover, there were significant differences between intensities for all muscle groups. According to the results, it might be concluded that, during water aerobics training is important to perform specific maximal tests in the aquatic exercises, since the HR, VO2 and Ve responses presented differences between water aerobic exercises and TRE. Another important issue that must be considered is the exercise and intensity to be prescribed. Exercises with similar characteristics to the CCS must be priorized if the aim is to attenuate the Fzpeak action, as it is important to highlight that this exercise presents intense neuromuscular activity in all the analyzed muscles, with the exception of GL. In order to minimize the Fzpeak, intensities corresponding to VT1 must be performed. However, the neuromuscular activity was significantly lower for all exercises and muscles analyzed at VT1. On the other hand, there is no difference in the Fzpeak between MAX and VT2; thus the maximal intensity is as safe to use as the VT2, with lower IMP and higher EMG activation in all the analyzed muscle groups. Notwithstanding, if the aim is to minimize the muscular activation, SR is recommended since it can be used during water aerobics with a similar cardiorespiratory intensity to the other evaluated exercises, while inducing lower peripherical fatigue.

Infants explore environments through repetitive movements which are constrained or facilitated by the environmental context. The current studies analyzed how typically developing infants bounced in four environments that differed by system natural frequency. Four pre-walking infants (age 9.7 months ±1.8) were placed in four spring conditions with natural spring frequencies of 0.9, 1.15, 1.27 and 1.56 Hz. All infants bounced above the natural spring frequency in all conditions suggesting that they do not solely behave like a mass-spring system. Two patterns of bouncing adaptations were identified. Three infants regulated bounce frequency, while one infant regulated the percentage of time on the ground. When infants matched their bounce frequency to the natural frequency, trunk vertical displacement and joint ranges of motion decreased across conditions and demonstrated a shift from non-spring like to circular spring-like phase planes. Moderate to high correlations were found for inter- and intra-limb coordination. Conversely, when an infant regulated time on the ground, trunk vertical displacement and joint ranges of motion remained the same across conditions and inter- and intra-limb correlations were low to moderate. Phase planes remained circular spring-like for this infant. Asymmetrical loading patterns and decreasing vertical ground reaction forces were found in all infants suggesting that a timing component is always regulated. The difference in bouncing pattern may be indicative of different bouncing skill level.

Subject of this master's thesis is to design a control screw connection balance mass and shaft. It is the task of the stress - strain analysis balancer shaft in the FEM system, evaluation of the obtained results and possible design modifications.

Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries within athletics in the United States with approximately one-million student athletes experiencing ankle sprains each year. Studies argue excessive or rapid ankle inversion occurring from jump landings may cause ankle sprains. Also, the effect of limb dominance on risk of ankle sprain is not well documented. The aim of this study was to determine if there is an affect of leg dominance on landing mechanism of the ankle joint that predisposes either ankle joint to greater risk of ankle sprain. Twelve recreationally active subjects were recruited and completed four maximal vertical jumps. Ground reaction force, marker position data and maximal vertical jump height were collected using two Bertec Force plates, a 10-camera motion capture system, and a Vertec Vertical Jump Trainer, respectively. Cortex and Visual3D software programs were used to process the motion capture data and to calculate peak vertical ground reaction forces(vGRF), loading rate, and ankle joint moments. There were no statistically significant differences in ankle joint moment or loading rate between limbs, but peak vGRF were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the non-dominant ankle. The results suggest the non-dominant ankle displays higher injury potential, as the non-dominant leg accumulates a larger peak landing force.

Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) is a disorder characterized by specific morphology of the femur and/or acetabulum, which may lead to hip pain during gait. Compared to individuals without pain, people with FAIS walk with more anterior pelvic tilt, and their pain may result from excessive anteriorly-directed hip joint forces. Previous approaches using musculoskeletal modelling to calculate joint forces, however, may inaccurately assume that each individual stands in an entirely neutral position when determining static joint angles. Consequently, information on parameters that affect joint forces (such as pelvic tilt) is lost in kinematic data used to estimate joint loading. To observe the effect of computationally altered pelvic tilt on joint forces, gait data of six healthy individuals were processed using Vicon and Visual3D. Each participant’s pelvic tilt was adjusted by ±5 degrees and ±10 degrees of tilt at all time points. Five analyses were performed per individual: no change in tilt, two posterior (positive) tilts, and two anterior (negative) tilts. The resulting data were imported into OpenSim to estimate forces from the femur onto the acetabulum in the anterior, superior, and medial directions. Data for each participant were normalized for gait cycle and body weight in MATLAB. Statistical parametric mapping software was used to determine if the differences in joint loads were significant. A more anterior pelvic tilt led to a reduction in anteriorly-directed joint forces, and an increase in the superior and medial directions. Based on these results, each individual’s pelvic tilt (obtained from their stationary kinematic data) was accounted for when modeling FAIS and healthy individuals. Using the same methods as above, the hip joint forces of 22 people with FAIS were compared to those of 22 healthy individuals as both groups walked at a prescribed speed. Although there were reductions in joint forces in both FAIS limbs compared to those of the control group, the differences were not significant, possibly due to the high variability of joint forces. Despite the significant effects of pelvic tilt on hip joint force, other underlying assumptions need to be addressed in musculoskeletal modeling software in order to compare different conditions, such as the use of the same generic model despite differences in sex and hip morphology. Future studies comparing pathological and healthy joint loads can inform researchers on gait alteration strategies and the design of assistive devices to manage the symptoms and onset of conditions such as FAIS. / 2022-05-15T00:00:00Z

No description available.

Introduction: Asymmetric gait is prevalent among older adults as well as in people with gait pathologies (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, following a stroke) and has been linked to a higher risk of falls. While a certain level of gait asymmetry is present in healthy young adults, the simulation of larger asymmetry in this population provides information about efficient strategies to regulate dynamic stability. Research investigating gait asymmetry has described spatiotemporal and kinematic strategies. However, limited information is available regarding changes in gait kinetics. Research objectives: This thesis aims to determine the gait control strategies utilized by young adults to regulate simulated gait asymmetry combined with different arm movement amplitude. We hypothesized that the hip joint would be the most affected by different arm swing conditions and asymmetric gait. We also hypothesized that asymmetric gait and active arm swing would lead to increased variability in the lower-limb movements. Methods: Fifteen healthy young adults (23.4±2.8 years, 7 Females) walked with three arm swing conditions (held, normal, and active) during symmetric and asymmetric walking conditions. The CAREN-extended System (Motek Medical, Amsterdam, NL) was used for data collection. Outcome measures included step length and width mean and variability (meanSD), vertical ground reaction forces, and lower-limb joint moment impulse mean and variability (meanSD) in the sagittal and frontal planes. Results: When comparing arm swing conditions, the active arm swing led to an increase in step width variability, vertical ground reaction forces, hip and knee variability in the sagittal plane, ankle abduction moment for the fast leg, as well as in knee variability in the frontal plane. As for gait symmetry, the asymmetric condition led to increased step width for the fast and slow legs and increased vertical ground reaction forces for the slow leg. The asymmetric condition further prompted adjustments in the frontal and sagittal planes, particularly at the ankle and hip joints during the braking phase, and in the knee joint during the propulsion phase phases when compared to the symmetric walking condition. Conclusion: Findings suggest that participants increased hip activity to control the effect of arm motion on the trunk to minimize adaptations in the lower-limb joints. The asymmetry condition demonstrated that participants searched for flexible lower-limb strategies aimed at minimizing bilateral differences between the fast and slow legs during asymmetric walking.

No description available.