scholarly journals Asymmetries in the Technique and Ground Reaction Forces of Elite Alpine Skiers Influence Their Slalom Performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (20) ◽  
pp. 7288
Author(s):  
Matej Supej ◽  
Jan Ogrin ◽  
Nejc Šarabon ◽  
Hans-Christer Holmberg
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Performance Variables ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Multivariable Regression ◽  
Turn Radius ◽  
Alpine Skiers ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
Hip Flexion ◽  
Multivariable Regression Models

Background: Although many of the movements of skiers are asymmetric, little is presently known about how such asymmetry influences performance. Here, our aim was to examine whether asymmetries in technique and the ground reaction forces associated with left and right turns influence the asymmetries in the performance of elite slalom skiers. Methods: As nine elite skiers completed a 20-gate slalom course, their three-dimensional full-body kinematics and ground reaction forces (GRF) were monitored with a global navigation satellite and inertial motion capture systems, in combination with pressure insoles. For multivariable regression models, 26 predictor skiing techniques and GRF variables and 8 predicted skiing performance variables were assessed, all of them determining asymmetries in terms of symmetry and Jaccard indices. Results: Asymmetries in instantaneous and sectional performance were found to have the largest predictor coefficients associated with asymmetries in shank angle and hip flexion of the outside leg. Asymmetry for turn radius had the largest predictor coefficients associated with asymmetries in shank angle and GRF on the entire outside foot. Conclusions: Although slalom skiers were found to move their bodies in a quite symmetrical fashion, asymmetry in their skiing technique and GRF influenced variables related to asymmetries in performance.

scholarly journals Asymmetries in Ground Reaction Forces During Turns by Elite Slalom Alpine Skiers Are Not Related to Asymmetries in Muscular Strength

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Ogrin ◽  
Nejc Šarabon ◽  
Mads Kjær Madsen ◽  
Uwe Kersting ◽  
Hans-Christer Holmberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscular Strength ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
The Body ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Alpine Skiers ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
Right Turns

The ground reaction forces (GRF) associated with competitive alpine skiing, which are relatively large, might be asymmetric during left and right turns due to asymmetries in the strength of the legs and torso and the present investigation was designed to evaluate this possibility. While skiing a symmetrical, 20-gate slalom course, the asymmetries of 9 elite alpine skiers were calculated on the basis of measurements provided by inertial motion units (IMU), a Global Navigation Satellite System and pressure insoles. In addition, specialized dynamometers were utilized to assess potential asymmetry in the strength of their legs and torso in the laboratory. In total, seven variables related to GRF were assessed on-snow and eight related to strength of the legs and torso in the laboratory. The asymmetries in these parameters between left and right turns on snow were expressed in terms of the symmetry (SI) and Jaccard indices (JI), while the asymmetries between the left and right sides of the body in the case of the laboratory measurements were expressed as the SIs. The three hypotheses to be tested were examined using multivariable regression models. Our findings resulted in rejection of all three hypotheses: The asymmetries in total GRF (H1), as well as in the GRF acting on the inside and outside legs (H2) and on the rear- and forefeet GRF (H3) during left and right turns were not associated with asymmetries in parameters related to muscular strength. Nevertheless, this group of elite slalom skiers exhibited significant asymmetry between their right and left legs with respect to MVC during ankle flexion (0.53 ± 0.06 versus 0.60 ± 0.07 Nm/kg, respectively) and hip extension (2.68 ± 0.39 versus 2.17 ± 0.26 Nm/kg), as well as with respect to the GRFs on the inside leg while skiing (66.8 ± 7.39 versus 76.0 ± 10.0 %BW). As indicated by the JI values, there were also large asymmetries related to GRF as measured by pressure insoles (range: 42.7–56.0%). In conclusion, inter-limb asymmetries in GRFs during elite alpine skiing are not related to corresponding asymmetries in muscular strength. Although our elite athletes exhibited relatively small inter-limb asymmetries in strength, their asymmetries in GRF on-snow were relatively large.

scholarly journals Ground Reaction Forces of Dressage Horses Performing the Piaffe

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Mary Clayton ◽  
Sarah Jane Hobbs
Keyword(s):  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
The Other ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
High Coefficient ◽  
Reaction Forces

The piaffe is an artificial, diagonally coordinated movement performed in the highest levels of dressage competition. The ground reaction forces (GRFs) of horses performing the piaffe do not appear to have been reported. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe three-dimensional GRFs in ridden dressage horses performing the piaffe. In-ground force plates were used to capture fore and hindlimb GRF data from seven well-trained dressage horses. Peak vertical GRF was significantly higher in forelimbs than in the hindlimbs (7.39 ± 0.99 N/kg vs. 6.41 ± 0.64 N/kg; p < 0.001) with vertical impulse showing a trend toward higher forelimb values. Peak longitudinal forces were small with no difference in the magnitude of braking or propulsive forces between fore and hindlimbs. Peak transverse forces were similar in magnitude to longitudinal forces and were mostly directed medially in the hindlimbs. Both the intra- and inter-individual variability of longitudinal and transverse GRFs were high (coefficient of variation 25–68%). Compared with the other diagonal gaits of dressage horses, the vertical GRF somewhat shifted toward the hindlimbs. The high step-to-step variability of the horizontal GRF components is thought to reflect the challenge of balancing on one diagonal pair of limbs with no forward momentum.

scholarly journals Abdominal Bracing Increases Ground Reaction Forces and Reduces Knee and Hip Flexion During Landing

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 286-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amity Campbell ◽  
Kevin Kemp-Smith ◽  
Peter O'Sullivan ◽  
Leon Straker
Keyword(s):  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Hip Flexion

Ground Reaction Forces and Lower Extremity Kinematics When Running With Suppressed Arm Swing

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross H. Miller ◽  
Graham E. Caldwell ◽  
Richard E. A. Van Emmerik ◽  
Brian R. Umberger ◽  
Joseph Hamill
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Joint Angles ◽  
Arm Swing ◽  
Musculoskeletal Models ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Cross Correlations ◽  
Arm Motion ◽  
Hip Flexion

The role of arm swing in running has been minimally described, and the contributions of arm motion to lower extremity joint kinematics and external force generation are unknown. These contributions may have implications in the design of musculoskeletal models for computer simulations of running, since previous models have usually not included articulating arm segments. 3D stance phase lower extremity joint angles and ground reaction forces (GRFs) were determined for seven subjects running normally, and running under two conditions of arm restraint. When arm swing was suppressed, the peak vertical GRF decreased by 10–13% bodyweight, and the peak lateral GRF increased by 4–6% bodyweight. Changes in peak joint angles on the order of 1–5 deg were observed for hip flexion, hip adduction, knee flexion, knee adduction, and ankle abduction. The effect sizes (ES) were small to moderate (ES<0.8) for most of the peak GRF differences, but large (ES>0.8) for most of the peak joint angle differences. These changes suggest that suppression of arm swing induces subtle but statistically significant changes in the kinetic and kinematic patterns of running. However, the salient features of the GRFs and the joint angles were present in all conditions, and arm swing did not introduce any major changes in the timing of these data, as indicated by cross correlations. The decision to include arm swing in a computer model will likely need to be made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the design of the study and the accuracy needed to answer the research question.

scholarly journals Compensatory Ground Reaction Forces during Scoliotic Gait in Subjects with and without Right Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2372
Author(s):  
Paul S. Sung ◽  
Moon Soo Park
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis ◽  
Idiopathic Scoliosis ◽  
Cobb Angle ◽  
Stance Phase ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Asymmetry Index ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
And Gender

Although the asymmetries of scoliotic gait in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) groups have been extensively studied, recent studies indicated conflicting results regarding the ground reaction forces (GRFs) during gait in subjects with spinal deformity. The asymmetry during the stance phase might be clarified with three-dimensional (3D) compensations of GRFs between similar characteristics of subjects with and without AIS. The purpose of this study was to compare the normalized 3D GRF differences during the stance phase of gait while considering age, BMI, and Cobb angle between subjects with and without right AIS. There were 23 subjects with right convexity of thoracic idiopathic scoliosis and 22 age- and gender-matched control subjects. All subjects were right upper/lower limb dominant, and the outcome measures included the Cobb angles, normalized GRF, and KAI. The mediolateral (M/L) third peak force on the dominant limb decreased in the AIS group (t = 2.58, p = 0.01). Both groups demonstrated a significant interaction with the 3D indices (F = 5.41, p = 0.02). The post-hoc analysis identified that the M/L plane of asymmetry was significantly different between groups. The Cobb angles were negatively correlated with the vertical asymmetry index (r = −0.45, p = 0.03); however, there was no significant correlation with age (r = −0.10, p = 0.65) or body mass index (r = −0.28, p = 0.20). The AIS group demonstrated decreased GRF in the dominant limb M/L plane of the terminal stance phase. This compensatory motion was confirmed by a significant group difference on the M/L plane of the KAI. This KAI of vertical asymmetry correlated negatively with the Cobb angle. The asymmetric load transmission with compensatory vertical reactions was evident due to abnormal loading in the stance phase. These kinetic compensatory patterns need to be considered with asymmetry on the dominant limb when developing rehabilitation strategies for patients with AIS.

scholarly journals A data set with kinematic and ground reaction forces of human balance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damiana A dos Santos ◽  
Claudiane A Fukuchi ◽  
Reginaldo K Fukuchi ◽  
Marcos Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Kinematic Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Force Platform ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Reaction Forces

This article describes a public data set with the three-dimensional kinematics of the whole body and the ground reaction forces (with a dual force platform setup) of subjects standing still for 60 s in different conditions, in which the vision and the standing surface were manipulated. Twenty-seven young subjects and 22 old subjects were evaluated. The data set comprises a file with metadata plus 1,813 files with the ground reaction force (GRF) and kinematics data for the 49 subjects (three files for each of the 12 trials plus one file for each subject). The file with metadata has information about each subject’s sociocultural, demographic, and health characteristics. The files with the GRF have the data from each force platform and from the resultant GRF (including the center of pressure data). The files with the kinematics have the three-dimensional position of the 42 markers used for the kinematic model of the whole body and the 73 calculated angles. In this text, we illustrate how to access, analyze, and visualize the data set. All the data is available at Figshare (DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.4525082 ), and a companion Jupyter Notebook (available at https://github.com/demotu/datasets ) presents the programming code to generate analyses and other examples.

scholarly journals A data set with kinematic and ground reaction forces of human balance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damiana A dos Santos ◽  
Claudiane A Fukuchi ◽  
Reginaldo K Fukuchi ◽  
Marcos Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Kinematic Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Force Platform ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Reaction Forces

This article describes a public data set with the three-dimensional kinematics of the whole body and the ground reaction forces (with a dual force platform setup) of subjects standing still for 60 s in different conditions, in which the vision and the standing surface were manipulated. Twenty-seven young subjects and 22 old subjects were evaluated. The data set comprises a file with metadata plus 1,813 files with the ground reaction force (GRF) and kinematics data for the 49 subjects (three files for each of the 12 trials plus one file for each subject). The file with metadata has information about each subject’s sociocultural, demographic, and health characteristics. The files with the GRF have the data from each force platform and from the resultant GRF (including the center of pressure data). The files with the kinematics have the three-dimensional position of the 42 markers used for the kinematic model of the whole body and the 73 calculated angles. In this text, we illustrate how to access, analyze, and visualize the data set. All the data is available at Figshare (DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.4525082 ), and a companion Jupyter Notebook (available at https://github.com/demotu/datasets ) presents the programming code to generate analyses and other examples.

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