不同躯干约束下蹲姿对人体下肢运动学和动力学的影响

目的 探究躯干控制对青年群体亚洲蹲和西方蹲时下肢运动生物力学特征的影响,为深蹲训练的应用和推广提供实证性依据。方法 24名健康男性青年大学生在带杆、无杆控制条件下进行亚洲蹲和西方蹲,运用红外光点运动捕捉系统和三维测力台采集其下肢运动学和动力学特征。通过Cortex-642.6.2软件,根据欧拉角方法计算获得下肢三维角度,运用逆动力学方法得到三维力矩。通过2×2重复设计的双因素方差分析检验躯干控制和深蹲姿势对下肢运动特征的影响。结果 躯干控制和深蹲姿势对运动学和动力学参数均无显著性交互作用(P>0.05)。西方蹲具有较大的膝关节屈曲角、髌股关节接触力峰值、髋膝伸展力矩峰值之比,较小的踝关节背屈角、髋关节屈曲角(P<0.05)。带杆深蹲具有较大的踝关节背屈角、髌股关节接触力峰值和髋关节屈曲角,较小的膝关节屈曲角、髋膝伸展力矩峰值之比(P<0.05)。结论 西方蹲有助于训练伸髋肌群肌力,亚洲蹲则有助于训练伸膝肌群肌力。西方蹲髌股关节接触力峰值显著大于亚洲蹲,故推荐髌股关节痛患者采用亚洲蹲。带杆深蹲可补偿人体平衡,建议由于踝关节背屈活动范围受限或胫骨前肌无力人群可以考虑进行带...     

太极拳转体动作中下肢关节活动顺序性和肌肉力表现及肌肉激活特征

目的 分析太极拳转体与弓步动作中下肢关节活动顺序性、肌肉力表现和肌肉激活程度的差异,揭示太极拳转体动作的特征。 方法 募集 20 名练习时长超过 3 年的健康太极拳练习者,采用三维运动捕捉系统、测力台和表面肌电同步采集转体与弓步两种动作运动学、动力学和肌肉激活信息,并通过 OpenSim 仿真软件获取下肢肌力。结果 与弓步相比,转体动作髋、踝关节外旋幅度显著增大;膝关节外展和外旋力矩显著增大,股二头肌、半腱肌和内外侧腓肠肌峰值肌力显著增强,股二头肌、内外侧腓肠肌峰值肌力时刻显著提前,而股内外侧肌和胫骨前肌峰值肌力显著减小,胫骨前肌肌力最早达到峰值;股二头肌、股内外侧肌和内侧腓肠肌的平均激活水平和激活时间显著增加。 结论 太极拳转体动作由踝、髋关节依次转动组成,肌肉力表现的独特性在于重心两次转移致使支撑腿内外侧肌力曲线呈双峰型,因为全足着地延迟方式引发了腓肠肌与股四头肌激活顺序和肌肉平均激活水平改变。研究结果提示全足着地延迟方式具有调节肌肉激活顺序的作用,合理利用有助于提升临床康复效果。     

冲击载荷作用下运动员下肢动态响应的逆向动力学仿真

目的分析冲击载荷作用下羽毛球运动员下肢关节肌肉的动态响应变化。方法基于Any Body Modeling System软件建立人体肌骨模型,采用实测表面肌电信号进行验证,以运动捕捉系统和测力台测量数据进行模型驱动,对羽毛球右前场蹬跨步上网过程中下肢肌肉肌力、关节力和关节力矩进行逆向动力学仿真与分析。结果所建人体下肢肌骨模型经肌电信号验证有效。羽毛球蹬跨步上网过程中,髋、踝关节Z方向内力峰值显著高于X和Y方向内力峰值,而膝关节X方向内力峰值显著高于Y和Z方向内力峰值;缓冲期,髋关节X、Y、Z方向依次表现为内收力矩、伸髋力矩和内旋力矩,膝关节X、Y、Z方向依次表现为外展力矩、屈膝力矩、外旋力矩,踝关节X、Y方向依次表现为内翻力矩、跖屈力矩,且髋、膝、踝关节X方向力矩峰值显著高于Y和Z方向;股外侧肌、股二头肌、胫骨前肌、腓肠肌内侧在对抗地面冲击载荷时的肌力发挥较大,股直肌、半膜肌、比目鱼肌发挥的作用相对较小。结论建立的下肢肌骨模型可为冲击载荷作用下运动员下肢生物力学特性分析提供技术平台。为避免运动损伤,类似羽毛球前场蹬跨步上网冲击动作中尤其要重视触地瞬间地面反作用力载荷对髋、膝、踝关节前后及内外侧方向生物力学性质的影响,同时在对羽毛球运动员进行专项训练时切勿忽视对股外侧肌、股二头肌、胫骨前肌的专项力量发展。     

基于AnyBody仿真的太极拳不同步型特征

目的 对比太极拳初学者和专业者不同步型的下肢运动学、动力学、肌肉力参数差异,为太极拳科学化及制定运动处方提供依据。方法 以练习时长超过3年的30名太极拳练习者为专业组,30名无太极拳经历初学者作为对照组。用BTS红外捕捉系统、Kistler三维测力台采集太极拳动作数据,以AnyBody 7.0建模仿真系统计算运动学、动力学、肌力参数。结果 专业组独立步膝关节屈伸角度、膝关节X轴受力明显大于对照组（P＜0.01）。弓步、虚步、开立步、马步、仆步、独立步中,专业组下肢肌力均为大于对照组。专业组马步半膜肌、半腱肌、股二头肌肌力大于对照组（P＜0.05）,专业组仆步臀大肌、臀中肌、臀小肌、阔筋膜张肌、股外侧肌、股二头肌肌力大于对照组（P＜0.05）,独立步股外侧肌、股内侧肌、股二头肌、胫骨前肌肌力大于对照组（P＜0.05）。结论 太极拳练习时,膝关节为主要发力关节,专业者下肢用力明显大于初学者。独立步对髋关节影响较大,弓步、仆步对膝关节影响较大。不同水平太极拳练习者对下肢肌肉的激活程度不同,初学者练习时要针对不同动作影响刺激的肌肉,有针对性地区分练习,进而促进下肢肌肉协同用力。     

痉挛型脑瘫儿童手术后表面肌电信号和关节角度评估

目的 通过表面肌电(surface electromyography, sEMG)和关节角度评估脑瘫儿童手术后运动功能。方法 采集16名痉挛型脑瘫患儿手术前后直线行走时股直肌、股二头肌、半腱肌、胫骨前肌、腓肠肌内外侧sEMG和髋、膝、踝关节角度,计算各步态时期sEMG均方根、积分肌电值和关节角度均值,进行肌力肌张力评估。结果 手术后,患儿下肢肌肉肌张力均显著降低(P<0.05),股直肌和股二头肌在摆动阶段肌力减小。胫骨前肌在摆动中末期肌力增大(P<0.05)。髋、膝关节屈曲角降低(P<0.05)。踝关节背屈角增大(P<0.05),内翻角减小(P<0.05)。结论 治疗后患者蹲伏步态和马蹄内翻足均得到改善,运动功能得到提升。sEMG结合关节角度分析可对患者肌肉功能进行定量评估,为临床诊断提供参考。     

太极拳上步弓步动作足前进角对膝关节载荷的影响及肌肉协调收缩策略

目的考察太极拳运动姿势对膝关节载荷的影响及肌肉协调收缩策略。方法募集20名具有3年以上健康太极拳习练者,借助红外高速运动捕捉系统和三维测力台,采集太极拳上步弓步动作支撑腿内收角、胫骨角、关节力、关节力矩等参数,通过仿真方法获取股四头肌和腓肠肌肌肉力。比较惯用步、外展步和内收步肌肉力表现、募集模式和激活方式特征。结果外展步胫骨角和内收力增大,而内收步不变;外展步股内肌、半膜半腱肌及外侧腓肠肌力增大;内收步股外肌和内侧腓肠肌力增强,腓肠肌比股四头肌被优先激活,肌群募集方式发生改变。结论太极拳运动姿势改变肌肉力募集方式,影响膝关节功能,规范动作可作为骨性关节炎运动疗法借鉴,具有临床应用意义。     

人体步态滑跌过程中的下肢表面肌电特性研究

通过分析在意外滑移恢复和跌倒两种情况下人体髋、膝、踝3个关节不同肌肉群肌电信号的反应差异,研究髋、膝和踝3个关节运动对滑后恢复平衡的作用。试验招募10名年轻的健康受试者,要求其沿着指定的直线步道行走,并使其在行走过程中发生意外滑移。通过分析所测得的肌电信号,得出不同肌肉群的肌肉激活延迟时间、肌电信号峰值、到达峰值时间、协同收缩率等参数。研究结果显示,恢复平衡和跌倒之间肌肉激活延迟时间并没有显著性差异(P＞0.05),而股内侧肌的肌电峰值分别为70.2±9.8和89.0±12.7,有显著性差异(P<0.05),胫骨前肌和半腱肌的距峰时间有显著性差异,P值分别为0.038、0.030(P<0.05),股二头肌距峰时间无显著性差异(P=0.062>0.05)。上述结果表明,在人体发生意外滑移后,对重新恢复人体平衡起作用的下肢关节肌肉激活时刻差别不大,但针对不同的关节运动,其肌肉伸缩程度以及肌肉做功不尽相同。根据肌肉所属关节及实验数据可知:增大踝关节背屈运动、膝关节屈曲运动和髋关节的伸展运动,对滑移后的平衡恢复作用显著。研究结果可以更好地揭示人体步态滑跌行为的内在机理,为各工作场所建立防滑策略提供有效的准则。     

基于AnyBody仿真的瑜伽动作下肢生物力学特征

目的 选取树式和燕式平衡两个瑜伽单腿支撑动作，对比专业组和非专业组下肢关节角度、关节力、肌力的生物力学特征，为瑜伽初学者科学健身以及康复医师确定运动处方提供理论依据。方法 采用BTS红外动作捕捉系统采集运动学数据，Kistler测力台采集动力学数据，AnyBody 7.0 仿真软件计算下肢关节力和肌力，Biodex平衡测试系统评估单支撑稳定性。结果树式和燕式平衡动作中，下肢肌力均表现出专业组大于非专业组。树式支撑腿：胫骨前肌、臀中肌后束、髂肌内侧、缝匠肌肌力大于非专业组（P<0.05）。树式平衡腿：股二头肌短头、缝匠肌，梨状肌、下籽肌、髂肌外侧、髂肌内侧、臀大肌下束、闭孔内肌大于非专业组(P<0.05)。燕式支撑腿：胫骨前肌、趾长伸肌、拇长伸肌、闭孔内肌、臀大肌上束大于非专业组（P<0.05）。燕式平衡腿：拇长伸肌大于非专业组（P<0.05）。PS-BI总体、前后方向以及单腿站立（athlete single leg, ASL）总体、前后方向、左右方向的分数，专业组显著小于非专业组（P<0.05）。结论 关节角度影响下肢肌肉练习的程度，在瑜珈练习时应注意动作的规范和相应肌肉的锻炼。树式动作中，非专业组双腿肌力都与专业组存在显著差异，燕式平衡动作的差异更多地表现在支撑腿上。瑜伽练习能够多方位提高单腿支撑稳定性。     

Synergistic characteristics of lower extremity muscles with unilateral knee flexion limitation北大核心

背景:膝关节活动受限是一种比较常见的损伤后表现特征,但是对于膝关节活动受限下的肌肉协同有待研究。目的:研究单侧膝关节屈曲受限与正常运动下肢肌肉协同的异同。方法:招募20名健康成年人(男性12名,女性8名)作为受试者,分别采集屈曲受限条件下与无屈曲受限条件下自然行走的下肢表面肌电信号。通过非负矩阵分解算法从受限侧(右腿)的10块肌肉的表面肌电信号中提取肌肉协同,利用单因素方差分析研究在不同条件行走的步态参数显著差异。结果与结论:①屈曲受限条件下,受试者进行行走任务时肌肉协同数量减少,表现出不同的肌肉协调模式控制并且招募新的肌肉协同单元;随着协同模块的减少,内侧腓肠肌、外侧腓肠肌和比目鱼肌激活时间从支撑相向摆动相偏移的越明显;主要依靠股直肌、股内侧肌、股外侧肌和阔筋膜张肌进行代偿,使其在激活水平上表现的异常活跃,同时受限侧表现出划圈、提胯等动作,因此受限后主要以受限侧髋关节代偿;②屈曲受限条件下,受试者受限侧和非受限侧在步态参数(频率、步速、步态周期和支撑相占比)方面对比受限前均存在显著差异(P<0.05),同时非受限侧单腿支撑时间相较于受限前明显增大(P<0.01),受限侧支撑相占比和单腿支撑时间显著小于非受限侧(P<0.01);③因此,膝关节屈曲运动减弱可被认为是导致下肢肢体内协调受损的关键因素,研究结果对运动功能的定量分析以及人体下肢康复指导具有意义,并为了解运动功能受损背后的神经肌肉控制机制提供重要的见解。     

肌内效贴对下肢侧切运动中生物力学特征的影响

背景:肌内效贴扎作为一种运动防护手段已被广泛应用,但作为纠正侧切动作时下肢生物力学异常变化手段的研究,其作用尚不明确。目的:对比受试者膝关节在肌内效贴扎、安慰剂贴扎及空白对照情况下,完成侧切动作时下肢运动学、动力学特征的变化。方法:招募39名篮球专项男性大学生为受试者,每位受试者分别在肌内效贴扎、安慰剂贴扎以及不进行任何贴扎情况下进行测试。采取力学矫正的贴扎方式对受试者优势侧膝关节进行贴扎干预。选取4.5-5.5 m/s的助跑速度完成45°侧切动作,并运用三维动态捕捉系统及测力台同步采集运动学及动力学数据。选取初始触地时刻、地面反作用力峰值时刻的运动学及动力学参数进行数据分析。采用SPSS 27.0软件对测试数据进行统计学分析。结果与结论:①运动学指标:肌内效贴条件下与无贴扎及安慰剂贴扎相比,初始触地时刻髋关节外展、膝关节外翻角度显著减小(P<0.05);侧向地面反作用力峰值时刻,髋关节外展、膝关节外翻及踝关节跖屈角度显著减小(P<0.05),膝关节屈曲角度显著增加(P<0.05)。②动力学指标:与无贴扎相比,肌内效贴扎及安慰剂贴扎条件下均可显著减小初始触地时刻髋关节外展、外旋力矩及膝关节外翻、外旋力矩(P<0.05),显著减小垂直地面反作用力峰值、水平向后地面反作用力峰值(P<0.05);与无贴扎及安慰剂贴扎相比,肌内效贴扎可显著减小侧向地面反作用力峰值(P<0.05)。③结果表明,对膝关节进行肌内效贴扎可在一定程度上改善篮球专项大学生在完成侧切动作时与下肢损伤风险因素相关的部分运动学、动力学指标,可能对预防侧切过程中损伤的发生有一定积极作用;此外,膝关节安慰剂贴扎与肌内效贴扎在部分指标变化方面的作用趋势较为一致,提示肌内效贴扎的作用机制可能存在安慰剂效应。     

Females with knee osteoarthritis use a detrimental knee loading strategy when squatting

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to identify sex differences in lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activation patterns between individuals with osteoarthritis and healthy controls during a two-legged squat.MethodThirty OA (15 females) and 30 healthy (15 females) participants performed three 2-legged squats. Sagittal and frontal plane hip, knee, and ankle kinematics and kinetics were calculated. Two-way ANOVAs (Sex X OA Status) were used to characterize differences in squatting strategies between sexes and between those with and without knee OA.ResultsA greater decrease in sagittal hip, knee, and ankle range of motion and knee joint power was observed in the OA participants compared to the healthy controls. Females with OA had significantly reduced hip and knee adduction angles compared to the healthy females and males with OA. Females also had decreased hip power, hip flexion, and hip adduction moments and knee adduction moments compared to their male counterparts, with the greatest deficits observed in the females with OA. Females with OA also had the highest magnitude of muscle activation for the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius throughout the squat, while males with OA showed increased activation of the vastus lateralis and medial gastrocnemius compared to the healthy males.ConclusionsOA significantly altered biomechanics and neuromuscular control during the squat, with males employing a hip-dominant strategy, allowing them to achieve a greater lower limb range of motion.     

踝足矫形器人机耦合仿真刚度对步态生物力学影响的评价方法

目的 为更好评价踝足矫形器(ankle-foot orthosis, AFO)的人机工效,提出一种 AFO 人机耦合仿真刚度对步态生物力学影响的评价方法。 方法 首先,评测两种 AFO 的力学特性并量化其刚度;其次,采集 30 名受试者在正常与穿戴两种不同刚度 AFO 行走条件下的运动学及动力学数据;最后,通过仿真计算,定量对比分析 AFO 刚度对 行走中下肢关节角度、关节力矩与肌肉力的影响。 结果 在穿戴两种刚度 AFO 情况下,支撑相踝关节背屈峰值角度、膝关节屈曲峰值角度和髋关节伸展峰值角度均显著增加(P<0. 05),比目鱼肌与腓肠肌峰值肌肉力呈现增加趋势。 踝关节跖屈峰值角度、髋关节屈曲峰值角度与髋关节屈曲峰值力矩均显著降低(P<0. 05)。 结论 本文所提出的 AFO 人机耦合仿真方法可以有效实现不同刚度对步态生物力学影响的定量评估,该方法同样也适用于评估和优化其他辅助器具的人机工效,可以为 AFO 的选配、适配、优化设计提供方法指导。     

Age-related changes in kinematics of the knee joint during deep squat

Researchers frequently use the deep knee squat as a motor task in order to evaluate the kinematic performance after total knee arthroplasty. Many authors reported about the kinematics of a normal squatting motion, however, little is known on what the influence of aging is. Twenty-two healthy volunteers in various age groups (range 21-75 years) performed a deep knee squat activity while undergoing motion analysis using an optical tracking system. The influence of aging was evaluated with respect to kinematics of the trunk, hip, knee and ankle joints. Older subjects required significantly more time to perform a deep squat, especially during the descending phase. They also had more knee abduction and delayed peak knee flexion. Older subjects were slower in descend than ascend during the squat. Although older subjects had a trend towards less maximal flexion and less internal rotation of the knee compared to younger subjects, this difference was not significant. Older subjects also showed a trend towards more forward leaning of the trunk, resulting in increased hip flexion and anterior thoracic tilt. This study confirmed that some aspects of squat kinematics vary significantly with age, and that the basic methodology employed here can successfully detect these age-related trends. Older subjects had more abduction of the knee joint, and this may indicate the load distribution of the medial and lateral condyles could be different amongst ages. Age-matched control data are therefore required whenever the performance of an implant is evaluated during a deep knee squat.     

抓举过程中运动员的上肢运动学分析

人体运动过程中,身体各部位的加速度、角加速度等运动学参数对计算关节力、关节力矩及肌肉力等动力学参数起着至关重要的作用.文章通过分析人体运动过程中关节坐标系相对世界坐标系的瞬时位置关系,以及各时刻关节坐标系空间位置关系,提出了基于关节坐标系的人体运动学参数计算方法.然后,以运动员抓举杠铃过程中的上肢运动为例,利用运动捕捉系统进行数据采集,计算出前臂在运动过程中的质心平移加速度和角加速度.结果 表明,前臂质心总的平移加速度主要由竖直方向的分量构成,而角加速度主要在改变杠铃轨迹过程中产生.     

直线前进变换为侧向跨步切入动作时的下肢生物力学变化

背景:侧向跨步切入动作是运动领域最常见的进攻技术,这显著增加了运动员膝关节受伤的风险,但目前相关侧向跨步动作的生物力学表现策略及下肢关节负荷特征并不十分清楚。目的:选择大学女子甲组篮球、足球运动员进行侧向跨步切入下肢动作策略,进行生物力学测试,并分析下肢关节的运动学及动力学参数,从而为运动员及教练员预防下肢伤害,尤其是膝关节十字韧带损伤提供重要参考。方法:选择某高校女子甲组足球及篮球各12名运动员作为研究对象,利用三维测力台及运动图像拍摄系统同步获取其侧向跨步切入动作的相关运动学及动力学参数,并运用SPSS 21.0分析软件对相关数据进行处理分析。该试验方案经天津体育学院伦理委员会批准。结果与结论:①足球运动员有较大的着地瞬间踝关节跖屈角度及髋关节外展角度、最大踝关节外翻角度、膝关节屈曲及内旋角度、膝关节屈曲及内旋角度变化量;②足球运动员有较大的踝关节外旋与髋关节内收力矩峰值,篮球运动员则有较大的踝关节跖屈力矩峰值;③篮球运动员有较小的前后分力制动第一及第二峰值、垂直分力第一峰值及较大的前后分力推蹬力峰值;④结果表明,跨步切入动作过程中,足球运动员习惯于前足着地方式进行急停,进而产生较高的地面反作用力,并增加膝关节屈曲角度进行缓冲,同时有较大的踝关节外翻角度及膝关节内旋角度,而篮球运动员在切入过程中膝关节屈曲角度较少,不利于下肢关节对地面反作用力的缓冲,并进而增加前十字韧带损伤风险。     

Patellofemoral joint stress during running in females with and without patellofemoral pain

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common complaint among female runners. The etiology for PFP is frequently associated with increased patellofemoral joint stress (PFJS) and altered hip and knee joint kinematics during running. However, whether PFJS during running is increased among runners with PFP is unknown. The primary aim of this study was to compare PFJS during running among females with and without PFP. We also compared hip and knee transverse plane kinematics during running due to their potential influence on patellofemoral contact area and PFJS. Three dimensional hip and knee running kinematics and kinetics were obtained from 20 females with PFP and 20 females with no pain. Patellofemoral joint stress during running was estimated using patellofemoral contact area and a sagittal plane patellofemoral joint model previously described. Patellofemoral joint stress, PFJS-time integral, and hip and knee transverse plane kinematics at the time of impact peak and peak ground reaction force were compared between groups using a multivariate analysis of variance. The results show that peak PFJS and PFJS-time integral were similar between groups. Peak knee flexion angle and net knee extension moment were not different between groups. However, females with PFP demonstrated hip internal rotation that was 6° greater (P=0.04) when ground reaction forces were greatest. The extent these results are influenced by compensations for pain is unclear. However, if increased PFJS contributes to the etiology or exacerbation of PFP, interventions to minimize altered transverse plane hip kinematics may be indicated among runners who demonstrate this characteristic.     

X-ray kinematics analysis of vaginal scent marking in female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

Vaginal marking is a stereotyped scent marking behavior in female Syrian hamsters used to attract male hamsters for mating. Although the modulation of vaginal marking by hormones and odors is well understood, the motor control of this proceptive reproductive behavior remains unknown. Therefore, we used X-ray videography to visualize individual bone movements during vaginal marking. Kinematic analyses revealed several consistent motor patterns of vaginal marking. Despite exhibiting a diversity of trial-to-trial non-marking behaviors (e.g. locomotor stepping), we found that lowering and raising the pelvis consistently corresponded with coordinated flexion and extension cycles of the hip, knee, and tail, suggesting that these movements are fundamental to vaginal marking behavior. Surprisingly, we observed only small changes in the angles of the pelvic and sacral regions, suggesting previous reports of pelvic rotation during vaginal marking may need to be reconsidered. From these kinematic data, we inferred that vaginal marking is primarily due to the actions of hip and knee extensor muscles of the trailing leg working against gravity to support the weight of the animal as it controls the descent of the pelvis to the ground. The cutaneous trunci muscle likely mediates the characteristic flexion of the tail. Interestingly, this tail movement occurred on the same time scale as the joint kinematics suggesting possible synergistic recruitment of these muscle groups. These data therefore provide new targets for future studies examining the peripheral control of female reproductive behaviors.     

Musculoskeletal modelling of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) hindlimb: Effects of limb posture on leverage during terrestrial locomotion

We developed a three-dimensional, computational biomechanical model of a juvenile Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) pelvis and hindlimb, composed of 47 pelvic limb muscles, to investigate muscle function. We tested whether crocodiles, which are known to use a variety of limb postures during movement, use limb orientations (joint angles) that optimise the moment arms (leverages) or moment-generating capacities of their muscles during different limb postures ranging from a high walk to a sprawling motion. We also describe the three-dimensional (3D) kinematics of the crocodylian hindlimb during terrestrial locomotion across an instrumented walkway and a treadmill captured via X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (biplanar fluoroscopy; ‘XROMM’). We reconstructed the 3D positions and orientations of each of the hindlimb bones and used dissection data for muscle lines of action to reconstruct a focal, subject-specific 3D musculoskeletal model. Motion data for different styles of walking (a high, crouched, bended and two types of sprawling motion) were fed into the 3D model to identify whether any joints adopted near-optimal poses for leverage across each of the behaviours. We found that (1) the hip adductors and knee extensors had their largest leverages during sprawling postures and (2) more erect postures typically involved greater peak moment arms about the hip (flexion-extension), knee (flexion) and metatarsophalangeal (flexion) joints. The results did not fully support the hypothesis that optimal poses are present during different locomotory behaviours because the peak capacities were not always reached around mid-stance phase. Furthermore, we obtained few clear trends for isometric moment-generating capacities. Therefore, perhaps peak muscular leverage in Nile crocodiles is instead reached either in early/late stance or possibly during swing phase or other locomotory behaviours that were not studied here, such as non-terrestrial movement. Alternatively, our findings could reflect a trade-off between having to execute different postures, meaning that hindlimb muscle leverage is not optimised for any singular posture or behaviour. Our model, however, provides a comprehensive set of 3D estimates of muscle actions in extant crocodiles which can form a basis for investigating muscle function in extinct archosaurs.     

Kinematics and muscular responses to a ramp descent in the ACL deficient knee

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Descent of a ramp has been shown to induce large anterior shear forces on the knee joint. Compensatory muscle responses observed in individuals following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury are believed to be adopted for the purpose of reducing these forces at the knee, in the absence of the mechanical restraint previously provided by the ACL. As such, examining the kinematics and muscle responses of ACL deficient individuals during ramp descent may provide further insight into strategies used by this population to compensate for anterior shear forces at the knee. METHODS: Eight ACL deficient individuals were studied, in comparison to a healthy CONTROL group (N=8), during the descent of a 20 degrees ramp. Kinematics and electromyography were recorded for the injured lower limb of ACLD and matched limb of healthy control individuals. RESULTS: ACLD individuals produced altered knee kinematics at heel contact only. Knee motion through stance and swing were similar to CONTROL individuals. ACLD individuals produced significantly greater vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius total muscle activity, but decreased total biceps femoris activity. No significant differences were observed for the timing of peak muscle activity or the magnitude at this point between ACLD and CONTROL. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Greater total muscle activity of vastus lateralis implies that greater force contributions from this muscle were used by ACLD in comparison to CONTROL in response to the ramp. These observations reinforce that quadriceps avoidance is not used by ACLD individuals to reduce anterior shear forces at the knee joint. Rather, vastus lateralis may be used to reduce internal tibial rotation in extreme loading situations.     

Fast voluntary trunk flexion movements in standing: motor patterns

The electromyographical (EMG) activity was studied during voluntary flexion movements of the trunk in erect standing man. The movements were performed at maximal velocity with successively increasing amplitude to cover the whole range of motion. The EMG activity was recorded from agonist-antagonist pairs of muscles at the ankle, knee, hip and trunk. The angular displacements at the corresponding joints were recorded using a Selspot optoelectronic system. The duration of initiating activity in prime movers (rectus abdominis and rectus femoris) as well as time to onset of activity in muscles braking the primary movement (erector spinae, gluteus maximus and hamstrings) were highly correlated with amplitude, duration, peak velocity and time to peak velocity of the movement (r = 0.59-0.91). The corresponding correlations for peak acceleration and deceleration of the movement were low (r = 0.03-0.38), indicating that acceleration and deceleration of a movement was not coded in the temporal aspects of the EMG. Onset of activity in rectus abdominis and rectus femoris as well as an early appearing burst of activity in vastus lateralis were invariant in relation to start of movement over the whole movement range. In the initial phase of a fast trunk flexion, activity in tibialis anterior appeared successively earlier with increasing movement amplitude. This resulted in a changed order of activation for the muscles from proximal to distal (rectus abdominis first) to distal to proximal (tibialis anterior first). Two different forms of associated postural adjustments are present during a fast trunk flexion, one early fast knee flexion and a later slower angle extension. Prior to knee flexion, no activity was recorded from muscles flexing at the knee implying that some other force must create a flexing torque around the knee. It is suggested that activity in rectus abdominis initiating the primary movement also initiates knee flexion through the upward pulling of pelvis. This would be possible since rectus femoris stabilizes the pelvis in relation to the leg, allowing the force in rectus abdominis to be transmitted below the hip joint and act extending around the ankle joint. However, when tibialis anterior is activated it stabilizes the shank which in turn will cause a knee flexion controlled by a lengthening contraction in vastus lateralis. During the subsequent ankle extension activity appears in lateral gastrocnemius and soleus causing the associated postural adjustment at the ankle. It can be concluded that activation of postural muscles prior to prime mover muscles is not always necessary.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)