Individuals with patellofemoral pain (PFP) use different motor strategies during unipodal support in stair climbing activities, which may be assessed by vertical ground reaction force parameters. Thus, the aims of this study were to investigate possible differences in first peak, valley, second peak, and loading rate between recreational female athletes with PFP and pain-free athletes during stair climbing in order to determine the association and prediction capability between these parameters, pain level, and functional status in females with PFP. Thirty-one recreational female athletes with PFP and 31 pain-free recreational female athletes were evaluated with three-dimensional kinetics while performing stair climbing to obtain vertical ground reaction force parameters. A visual analog scale was used to evaluate the usual knee pain. The anterior knee pain scale was used to evaluate knee functional score. First peak and loading rate were associated with pain (r = .46, P = .008; r = .56, P = .001, respectively) and functional limitation (r = .31, P = .049; r = −.36, P = .032, respectively). Forced entry regression revealed the first peak was a significant predictor of pain (36.5%) and functional limitation (28.7%). Our findings suggest that rehabilitation strategies aimed at correcting altered vertical ground reaction force may improve usual knee pain level and self-reported knee function in females with PFP.
Search Results
Vertical Ground Reaction Forces are Associated with Pain and Self-Reported Functional Status in Recreational Athletes with Patellofemoral Pain
Danilo de Oliveira Silva, Ronaldo Briani, Marcella Pazzinatto, Deisi Ferrari, Fernando Aragão, and Fábio de Azevedo
Posttraumatic Ankle Osteoarthritis Alters Stair Ascent and Descent Kinetics
Erik A. Wikstrom, Robert B. Anderson, and Tricia Hubbard-Turner
Those with posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis have a variety of sensorimotor impairments. However, no investigation has determined the effect of posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis on stair climbing. The purpose of this study was to determine if stair ascent and descent kinetics are altered in those with posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis. Those with posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis had lower self-reported function than age-matched controls. Normalized peak vertical ground reaction forces during the weight acceptance phase of stair ascent and descent were also different between groups. The results suggest that those with ankle osteoarthritis have a reduced ability to control their body mass while stair climbing.
Changes in Technique and Efficiency After High-Intensity Exercise in Cross-Country Skiers
Christina Åsan Grasaas, Gertjan Ettema, Ann Magdalen Hegge, Knut Skovereng, and Øyvind Sandbakk
This study investigated changes in technique and efficiency after high-intensity exercise to exhaustion in elite cross-country skiers. Twelve elite male skiers completed 4 min submaximal exercise before and after a high-intensity incremental test to exhaustion with the G3 skating technique on a 5% inclined roller-ski treadmill. Kinematics and kinetics were monitored by instrumented roller skis, work rate was calculated as power against roller friction and gravity, aerobic metabolic cost was determined from gas exchange, and blood lactate values indicated the anaerobic contribution. Gross efficiency was the work rate divided by aerobic metabolic rate. A recovery period of 10 min between the incremental test and the posttest was included to allow the metabolic values to return to baseline. Changes in neuromuscular fatigue in upper and lower limbs before and after the incremental test were indicated by peak power in concentric bench press and squat-jump height. From pretest to posttest, cycle length decreased and cycle rate increased by approximately 5% (P < 0.001), whereas the amount of ski forces did not change significantly. Oxygen uptake increased by 4%, and gross efficiency decreased from 15.5% ± 0.7% to 15.2% ± 0.5% from pretest to posttest (both P < .02). Correspondingly, blood lactate concentration increased from 2.4 ± 1.0 to 6.2 ± 2.5 mmol/L (P < .001). Bench-press and squat-jump performance remained unaltered. Elite cross-country skiers demonstrated a less efficient technique and shorter cycle length during submaximal roller-ski skating after high-intensity exercise. However, there were no changes in ski forces or peak power in the upper and lower limbs that could explain these differences.
Oxygen Uptake Kinetics: An Underappreciated Determinant of Exercise Performance
Andrew M. Jones and Mark Burnley
The rate at which VO2 adjusts to the new energy demand following the onset of exercise strongly influences the magnitude of the “O2 defcit” incurred and thus the extent to which muscle and systemic homeostasis is perturbed. Moreover, during continuous high-intensity exercise, there is a progressive loss of muscle contractile efficiency, which is reflected in a “slow component” increase in VO2. The factors that dictate the characteristics of these fast and slow phases of the dynamic response of VO2 following a step change in energy turnover remain obscure. However, it is clear that these features of the VO2 kinetics have the potential to influence the rate of muscle fatigue development and, therefore, to affect sports performance. This commentary outlines the present state of knowledge on the characteristics of, and mechanistic bases to, the VO2 response to exercise of different intensities. Several interventions have been reported to speed the early VO2 kinetics and/or reduce the magnitude of the subsequent VO2 slow component, and the possibility that these might enhance exercise performance is discussed.
Tibiofemoral Joint Kinetics during Squatting with Increasing External Load
Sonia Sahli, Haithem Rebai, Mohamed Habib Elleuch, Zouheir Tabka, and Georges Poumarat
Context:
There is limited information about the effects of increasing load while squatting
Objective:
To quantify tibiofemoral joint kinetics during squatting with variable loads.
Setting:
Research laboratory.
Participants:
20 male students.
Intervention:
Tibiofemoral joint kinetics and electromyographic (EMG) activity of four involved muscles were determined by recording the half squat with variable external loads.
Main Outcome Measures:
Tibiofemoral joint force and external moment components and EMG activity of four involved muscles.
Results:
Throughout the exercise, a posterior direction for the antero-posterior shear force and a net extension for the external moment were observed. They increased with knee flexion reaching peak force of 29% of the subject body weight (BW) and moment of 88Nm (without external load). All force and moment components and muscle activities increased as the external load increased.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that half squat may be safe to use for quadriceps strengthening with very low potential loading on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Our data can help clinicians choose the appropriate external load.
Kinematics, Kinetics, and Muscle Activation during Explosive Upper Body Movements
Robert U. Newton, William J. Kraemer, Keijo Häkkinen, Brendan J. Humphries, and Aron J. Murphy
The aim of this study was to investigate the kinematics, kinetics, and neural activation of the traditional bench press movement performed explosively and the explosive bench throw in which the barbell was projected from the hands. Seventeen male subjects completed three trials with a bar weight of 45% of the subject's previously determined 1RM. Performance was significantly higher during the throw movement compared to the press for average velocity, peak velocity, average force, average power, and peak power. Average muscle activity during the concentric phase for pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, triceps brachii, and biceps brachii was higher for the throw condition. It was concluded that performing traditional press movements rapidly with light loads does not create ideal loading conditions for the neuromuscular system with regard to explosive strength production, especially in the final stages of the movement, because ballistic weight loading conditions where the resistance was accelerated throughout the movement resulted in a greater velocity of movement, force output, and EMG activity.
3D Kinematics and Kinetics of the Golf Swing
Robert J. Neal and Barry D. Wilson
Three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics for a double pendulum model golf swing were determined for 6 subjects, who were filmed by two phase-locked Photosonics cameras. The film was digitally analyzed. Abdel-Aziz and Karara's (1971) algorithm was used to determine three-dimensional spatial coordinates for the segment endpoints. Linear kinematic and kinetic data showed similarities with previous studies. The orientation of the resultant joint force at the wrists was in the direction of motion of the club center of gravity for most of the downswing. Such an orientation of the force vector would tend to prevent wrist uncocking. Indeterminate peak angular velocities for rotations about the X axis were reported. However, these peaks were due to computational instabilities that occurred when the club was perpendicular to the YZ plane. Furthermore, the motion of the club during the downswing was found to be nonplanar. Wrist uncocking appeared to be associated with the resultant joint torque and not the resultant joint force at the wrists. Torques reported in this study were consistent with those reported by Vaughan (1981).
Effect of Sampling Frequency on Isometric Midthigh-Pull Kinetics
Thomas Dos’Santos, Paul A. Jones, Jonathan Kelly, John J. McMahon, Paul Comfort, and Christopher Thomas
Purpose:
Skeletal-muscle function can be evaluated using force–times curves generated via the isometric midthigh pull (IMTP). Various sampling frequencies (500–1000 Hz) have been used for IMTP assessments; however, no research has investigated the influence of sampling frequency on IMTP kinetics. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of sampling frequency on kinetic variables during the IMTP, including peak force, time-specific force values (100, 150, and 200 ms), and rate of force development (RFD) at 3 time bands (0–100, 0–150, 0–200 ms).
Methods:
Academy rugby league players (n = 30, age 17.5 ± 1.1 y, height 1.80 ± 0.06 m, mass 85.4 ± 10.3 kg) performed 3 IMTP trials on a force platform sampling at 2000 Hz, which was subsequently down-sampled to 1500, 1000, and 500 Hz for analysis.
Results:
Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CV) demonstrated high within-session reliability for all force and RFD variables across all sampling frequencies (ICC ≥ .80, CV ≤ 10.1%). Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed no significant differences (P > .05, Cohen d ≤ 0.009) in kinetic variables between sampling frequencies. Overall, high reliability was observed across all sampling frequencies for all kinetic variables, with no significant differences (P > .05) for each kinetic variable across sampling frequencies.
Conclusions:
Practitioners and scientists may consider sampling as low as 500 Hz when measuring peak force, time-specific force values, and RFD at predetermined time bands during the IMTP for accurate and reliable data.
Oxygen Uptake Kinetics in Children and Adolescents: A Review
Neil Armstrong and Alan R. Barker
The pulmonary oxygen uptake (pVO2) kinetic response at the onset of exercise provides a noninvasive window into the metabolic activity of the muscle and a valuable means of increasing our understanding of developmental muscle metabolism. However, to date only limited research has been devoted to investigating the pVO2 kinetic response during exercise in children and adolescents. From the rigorous studies that have been conducted, both age- and sex-related differences have been identified. Specifically, children display a faster exponential rise in the phase II pVO2 kinetics, which are purported to reflect the rise in muscle O2 consumption, during moderate, heavy and very heavy intensity exercise compared with adults. Furthermore, for heavy and very heavy exercise, the O2 cost of exercise is higher for the exponential phase and the magnitude of the pVO2 slow component is smaller in young children. Sex-related differences have been identified during heavy, but not moderate exercise, with prepubertal boys displaying a faster exponential phase II pVO2 kinetic response and a smaller pVO2 slow component compared with prepubertal girls. The mechanisms underlying these differences are currently poorly understood, and form the basis for future research in this area. However, it is hypothesized that an age-related modulation of the muscle phosphate feedback controllers to signal an increased rate of oxidative phosphorylation and/or altered muscle fiber type recruitment strategies have the potential to play an important role. Overall, the data support the view that at the onset of exercise children have an enhanced potential for oxidative metabolism in the myocyte compared with adults.
Intrasession and Intersession Reliability of Running Mechanics During Treadmill Sprints
Olivier Girard, Franck Brocherie, Jean-Benoit Morin, and Grégoire P. Millet
Purpose:
To determine the intrasession and intersession (ie, within- and between-days) reliability in treadmill sprinting-performance outcomes and associated running mechanics.
Methods:
After familiarization, 13 male recreational sportsmen (team- and racket-sport background) performed three 5-s sprints on an instrumented treadmill with 2 min recovery on 3 different days, 5–7 d apart. Intrasession (comparison of the 3 sprints of the first session) and intersession (comparison of the average of the 3 sprints across days) reliability of performance, kinetics, kinematics, and spring-mass variables were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CV%).
Results:
Intrasession reliability was high (ICC > .94 and CV < 8%). Intersession reliability was good for performance indices (.83 < ICC < .89 and CV < 10%, yet with larger variability for mean velocity than for distance covered or propulsive power) and kinetic parameters (ICC > .94 and CV < 5%, yet with larger variability for mean horizontal forces than for mean vertical forces) and ranged from good to high for all kinematic (.88 < ICC < .95 and CV ≤ 3.5%) and spring-mass variables (.86 < ICC < .99 and CV ≤ 6.5%). Compared with intrasession, minimal detectable differences were on average twice larger for intersession designs, except for sprint kinetics.
Conclusion:
Instrumented treadmill sprint offers a reliable method of assessing running mechanics during single sprints either within the same session or between days.
