The purpose of the study was to explore the psychosocial factors involved in the susceptibility, experience and rehabilitation of injuries sustained in long-distance running in order to develop a biopsychosocial theoretical model that will help explain the experience of injury and the successful rehabilitation thereof in long-distance running. The study was approached from a biopsychosocial theoretical perspective. A mixed methods research design with the purpose of expansion and using 15 case studies was employed. Purposive sampling with a snowballing effect was used to select the 15 long-distance runners who were injured or had recently recovered from injury. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each of the participants. Furthermore, each participant completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. An examination of the participants’ experiences of injury reveals that injury has an effect on and is affected by the following factors: running history and training program; perceived benefits and disadvantages of running; personal understanding of injury; personality factors; psychological responses to injury; perceived causes of injury; approach to rehabilitation; and coping mechanisms. Furthermore, there is an inherent interplay of biological or physical, psychological and social processes involved in the experience of injuries sustained in long-distance running. Based on the findings of the study, the biopsychosocial model of long-distance running injuries is proposed. Although the model emanates from the experiences of the 15 participants in the study, it may be applied to long-distance runners in general. A long-distance runner’s experience of running is the core of the model. The model depicts how each of the factors noted previously has an effect on and is affected by injury; thus, showing the integral relationship between injury and each of the factors. Furthermore, the biopsychosocial nature of the model is also portrayed in the model. Cognizance is also taken that all long-distance runners are individuals and may respond to injury in a unique manner. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

Title: The comparison of standing and crouch start Objectives: Analysis of time differences in base running from the position of standing and crouch start. Another goal was to compare these starts in group of male sprinters and then to compare these starts with female softball players. Methods: Mainly document analysis was used in my diploma thesis. The author used both Czech and foreign sources. The foreign sources were mainly scientific researches, professional studies and articles from scientific journals. The issue was closely linked to running bases in softball, athletic starts and strenght training focused on thy dynamic component. Standing and crouch starts were then examined in detail. Results: It was found that the standing start compared to the crouch start enhances the results of female softball players by 0,06 s at the distance of 20 meters. The difference in the group of male athletes was only 0,01 s. Major differences were observed in female softball players already within the first 5 meters where the first time difference appeared. This difference was gradually rising until the end of the 20 m distance. Keywords: base running, running in softball, athletic start, three-point stance start, standing start, crouch start

Bakgrund: Löpning är en populär motionsform i Sverige idag, dock är det vanligt med överbelastningsskador bland löpare och nästan 80% skadar sig på något vis varje år. Diskussion har uppstått bland löpare och forskare kring om barfotalöpning kan förändra biomekaniken och därmed ändra belastningen och minska risken för skador, samt om barfotalöpning kan leda till en förbättrad löpekonomi och påverka löparens prestationer. Syfte: Att undersöka vilken effekt barfotalöpning (inkl. minimalistskor) har på biomekanik mätt med ground reaction force (GRF) och löpekonomi mätt med syreupptagning jämfört med löpning med konventionella skor.  Metod: Systematisk narrativ litteraturöversikt. Litteratursökningen genomfördes i databaserna Pubmed och Cochrane. Studier som var randomiserade kontrollerade studier (RCT) alternativt cross-over studier inkluderades. Kvalitetsgranskning av studierna genomfördes med PEDro och tillförlitligheten av resultatet bedömdes med GRADEstud. Resultat: Åtta artiklar inkluderades, tre om biomekanik och fem om löpekonomi. Inga samstämmiga resultat sågs gällande barfotalöpningens effekter på GRF, en studie påvisade en signifikant minskning medan två studier visade på en signifikant ökning av GRF. Positiva tendenser sågs i studierna om löpekonomi, varav två påvisade signifikanta förbättringar. Kvaliteten på artiklarna bedömdes som måttlig och tillförlitligheten till resultaten bedömdes vara mycket låg.  Konklusion: Barfotalöpning påvisar vissa positiva effekter på löpekonomi medan effekterna på GRF är motstridiga. Tillförlitligheten av evidensen bedömdes vara mycket låg. Det behövs fler högkvalitativa studier som undersöker de långvariga och akuta effekterna av barfotalöpning på löpekonomi och biomekanik för att kunna dra slutsatser och implementera kunskapen bland fysioterapeuter som arbetar med löparskador. / Background: Running is a popular activity in Sweden today. However, injuries are common and almost 80% of runners get injured each year. Discussions about whether barefoot running could alter the biomechanics and decrease the risk of injury, and improve the running economy and increase a runner's performance, has risen amongst runners and researchers. Purpose: To examine the effects of barefoot running (minimalist footwear) on biomechanics measured with ground reaction force (GRF) and running economy measured with oxygen consumption compared to shod running.  Method: A systematic review. Articles were found using the Pubmed and Chochrane database. Randomised controlled trials (RCT) or Cross-over studies were included. Assessment of study quality was measured with the PEDro-scale and the reliability of the result assessed with GRADEstud. Result: Eight articles were included, three about biomechanics and five about running economy. Inconclusive results were found on the effects of barefoot running on GRF, one study showed a significant reduction in GRF and the other two showed increase in GRF. Positive tendencies were found concerning running economy, two studies showed a significant increase. The quality of the studies were moderate and the reliability of the result were very low. Conclusion: Barefoot running showed positive findings on running economy, while the effects on GRF were inconclusive. The evidence was considered very low. There is a need for more high-quality studies examining the long-lasting and acute effects of barefoot running on running economy and biomechanics to be able to draw conclusions and implement the knowledge in clinical physiotherapy.

Ein Schienenfahrzeug erzeugt geringe Gleiskräfte und geringen Verschleiß an Rädern und Schienen, wenn sich die Radsätze im Gleisbogen radial einstellen. In dieser Arbeit wird untersucht, welche Bedingungen für ein dreiachsiges Fahrwerk mit radialer Einstellbarkeit gelten, damit es möglichst stabil fährt. Außerdem wird es mit einem konventionellen dreiachsigen Fahrwerk bezüglich stabiler Fahrt und Verhalten im Bogen verglichen. Zusätzlich werden angetriebene Radsätze erfasst. In der Auslegungsphase eines Fahrzeuges kommt es darauf an, die wesentlichen Parameter zu analysieren und die optimalen Werte wenigstens in ihrer Größenordnung festzulegen. Da hierfür eine Vielzahl von Rechnungen nötig ist, braucht man einfache und schnelle Werkzeuge. Es wird ein Verfahren für die Bestimmung der optimalen Parameterwerte für Stabilität entwickelt. Der Einfluss der Elastizitäten und Dämpfungen in den Kopplungen wird berücksichtigt. Parameter dürfen in der Praxis nicht beliebige Werte, insbesondere nicht beliebig hohe Werte annehmen. Diese Randbedingungen werden einbezogen. Die Empfindlichkeit der Parameter gegenüber Abweichungen von den optimalen Werten wird dargestellt. Mit den optimalen Parameterwerten wird das Fahrverhalten im Bogen geprüft. Bei Fahrt im Bogen kann der Kontaktpunkt zwischen Rad und Schiene in der Hohlkehle oder in der Spurkranzflanke des Rades liegen. In diesem Bereich sind die Beziehungen der Kontaktparameter stark nichtlinear; das Rechenmodell bezieht diese Effekte ein. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass drei Radsätze, die in der Lage sind, sich ungehindert radial einzustellen, stabil fahren können. Auch die Existenz eines Fahrzeugkastens ändert nichts an dieser grundsätzlichen Aussage. Voraussetzung ist allerdings, dass einige Parameter ausreichend große Werte annehmen können. Die Grenzen, die die Parameterwerte nicht überschreiten dürfen, haben einen großen Einfluss auf das Ergebnis. Steifigkeiten, die eigentlich die radiale Einstellung behindern, wirken sich positiv auf die Stabilität und das Verhalten im Bogen unter Fliehkraft aus.

Hälsenan har en viktig roll för motoriken av underbenet samt rörelse vid gång och löpning. I och med detta sker det en stor belastning på hälsenan vid gång och löpning vilket kan leda till bristningar och skador på senan. Dessa bristningar kan ske när hälsenan deformeras i samband med fysisk aktivitet. Deformation av hälsenan är differensen mellan relativ displacement i senan och är ett viktigt koncept inom förståelsen om hälseneskadors etiologi. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att öka kunskapen om displacement i hälsenan och hur det skiljer sig vid habituell löpning med olika löparskor inklusive barfotalöpning. Vidare felsöktes en speckle tracking-algoritm som lägger grund för analysen av displacement i hälsenan. Arbetet är en utökning på ett pågående forskningssamarbete mellan KTH, GIH och KI. Det första steget i arbetet var att MATLAB-programmet för speckle tracking-algoritmen felsöktes och korrigerades. Detta gjordes genom att ändra initiala startvärden i algoritmen såsom centralfrekvensen och värdet för hastigheten av displacement i hälsenan. Efter att hastigheten valts till 2 cm/s fungerade algoritmen felfritt. Nästa steg var att exekvera programmet på den ultraljudsdata för hälsenan som tidigare samlats in från forskningssamarbetet. Algoritmen kördes för tre studiepersoner för habituell löpstil med tre olika löparskor samt barfota. Detta resulterade i att medelvärdeskurvor för ytlig och djup displacement i hälsenan kunde plottas där dess minimum- och maximumvärden kunde jämföras. Efter att differensen för minimum- och maximumvärdet för ytlig och djup displacement hade jämförts mellan samtliga löparskor samt barfota, kunde följande konstateras. Löpning med traditionella skor medförde högst djup displacement följt av skor med kolfibersula, minimalistiska skor och barfotalöpning. Den sko som medförde högst ytlig displacement var skor med kolfibersula följt av traditionella skor, minimalistiska skor samt löpning barfota. Jämförelsen har ej baserats på någon statistisk grund då endast tre studiepersoner analyserades. Detta medför en viss osäkerhet gällande vilken skotyp som medför högst respektive lägst displacement. Bortsätt från denna osäkerhet kan det konstateras att resultat från tidigare studier tyder på liknande insikter. / The Achilles tendon plays a crucial role in the motor function of the lower leg, as well as in the motion involved in walking and running. As a result, the Achilles tendon undergoes significant stress during walking and running, which can lead to tears and injuries to the tendon. These tears can occur when the Achilles tendon is deformed associated with physical activity. The deformation of the Achilles tendon is the difference between the relative displacement in the tendon and is an important concept in understanding the etiology of Achilles tendon injuries. The purpose of this thesis is to increase knowledge about the displacement in the Achilles tendon and how it differs during habitual running with different running shoes, including barefoot running. Furthermore, a speckle tracking algorithm that forms the basis for analyzing the displacement in the Achilles tendon is debugged. The work is an extension of an ongoing research collaboration between KTH, GIH, and KI. The first step in the work was to debug and correct the MATLAB program for the speckle tracking algorithm. This was done by changing initial starting values in the algorithm such as the central frequency and the value for the speed of displacement in the Achilles tendon. After choosing a speed of 2 cm/s, the algorithm worked flawlessly. The next step was to execute the program on the ultrasound data for the Achilles tendon previously collected from the research collaboration. The algorithm was run for test subjects 17, 18, and 21 for habitual running style with three different running shoes and barefoot. This resulted in mean value curves for superficial and deep displacement in the Achilles tendon being plotted, with their minimum and maximum values being compared. After comparing the difference between the minimum and maximum values of superficial and deep displacement across all running shoes as well as barefoot, the following observations were made. Running with traditional shoes caused the highest deep displacement, followed by shoes with carbon fiber soles, minimalist shoes, and barefoot running. The shoe that caused the highest superficial displacement was shoes with carbon fiber soles, followed by traditional shoes, minimalist shoes, and running barefoot. The comparison was not based on any statistical basis since only three test subjects were analyzed. This implies some uncertainty as to which type of shoe causes the highest and lowest displacement. Aside from this uncertainty, it can be noted that the results from previous studies have findings that suggest similar insights.

An Automated Method for Hot-to-Cold Geometry Mapping.

No description available.

Master of Science / Department of Kinesiology / Thomas J. Barstow / Purpose: To determine if a single test is accurate in determining the parameters of the velocity: time-to-fatigue relationship, i.e., critical velocity (CV) and a finite distance that can be covered above CV (D`). Methods: Ten healthy subjects completed an incremental test to volitional exhaustion followed by four constant-velocity runs on a treadmill for the determination of CV and D`, as well as an all-out 3-minute test on a track for the determination of end-test velocity (EV) and the distance above end-test velocity (DEV). Eight of the eleven subjects completed a second 3-minute test and one run each at (+) and (-) 95% confidence interval velocities of CV determined from the 1/time model. Results: The group mean 1/time model CV (12.8 ± 2.5 km·h[superscript]-1) was significantly greater than the velocity-time model CV (12.3 ± 2.4 km·h[superscript]-1; P < 0.05), while the velocity-time model W` (285 ± 106 m) was greater than the 1/time model W` (220 ± 112 m; P < 0.05). EV (13.0 ± 2.7 km·h[superscript]-1) and DEV (151 ± 45 m) were not significantly different than the 1/time model CV and W`, respectively. EV was greater than the velocity-time model CV (P < 0.05), while the DEV was significantly less than the velocity-time model W` (P = 0.002). No difference was found for group mean EV or DEV between the two 3-minute tests (P > 0.05), which demonstrated a reliability coefficient of 0.85 for EV and 0.32 for DEV. For the CV (-) 95% run, all subjects reached a steady-state in VO[subscript]2, and completed 900 s of exercise. However, for the CV (+) 95% run, VO[subscript]2 never reached a steady-state, but increased until termination of exercise at 643 ± 213 s with a VO[subscript]2peak close to but significantly lower than VO[subscript]2max (P < 0.05). Conclusion: CV can be accurately determined using a single 3-minute test, while W` is underestimated with this protocol.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 S22 / Master of Science

Thesis (M.Thec.:Chiropractic)-Dept. of Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xiii, 110 leaves ; ill. ; 30 cm / According to Wood (1998), patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) refers to a syndrome that comprises of the following signs and symptoms: anterior knee pain, inflammation, imbalance, instability, or any combination thereof. Prevailing literature suggests that the presence of myofascial trigger points (MFTP’s) in quadriceps femoris (QF) muscle could result in a combination of the following signs and symptoms: - Retro- or peripatella pain, - Weakness of the quadriceps muscle (Chaitow and DeLany, 2002) - Loss of full lengthening (Travell and Simons, 1983:248-250) The aetiology of PFPS is poorly understood (Kannus et al. 1999). The current trend in literature suggests an extensor mechanism dysfunction as the most probable aetiology (Galantly et al., 1994; Juhn, 1999). There appears to be a clinical overlap between the two syndromes, in terms of an extensor mechanism dysfunction and of signs and symptoms. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the role of active myofascial trigger points in the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle as perpetuating, causative or concomitant factors in the alteration of VL/VM Total Work (TW) in PFPS in distance runners.