Text Box: Effects of Gender on Kinematics of the Hip, Knee, and Ankle in Unanticipated Drop-landings of Adolescent Soccer Players      Female athletes participating in sports requiring highly dynamic movements are at four to six times greater risk of knee injury than their male counterparts. Several theories based on differences between genders in joint kinematics, hormones, and other variables have been offered to explain the disparity. For example, Ford et al (2003) found that high school aged female athletes displayed greater knee valgus angles than males during landing. However, few studies have tested adolescent subjects to establish whether kinematic differences also exist at a younger age, especially in unanticipated paradigms that replicate real game situations. This purpose of this study was to identify kinematic differences between male and female adolescent soccer players that might be precursors of knee injuries. Our hypothesis was that male and female adolescent soccer players would display comparable lower extremity kinematics due to their similar skeletal structures.     Text Box: Comparison of Post Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) Surgery Techniques in Canines       Partnering with Dr. Brourman of WestVet of Idaho, the COBR staff researched the effectiveness of plates used in canine orthopedic surgery.  The TPLO procedure help canines who have torn a cruciate ligament in their knee, a common orthopedic issue in dogs.  It involves cutting the tibial plateau, rotating it, and fastening it into its new, more level, place (shown left).      The study researched the effect of leaving the plate in place after healing had completed, or removing it. Text Box: Influence of Towing Force Magnitude on the Kinematics of Supramaximal Sprinting          In athletics, speed and success are often interrelated.  As such, many athletes and coaches resort to non-traditional methods of speed development, such as towing, in an effort to elicit further adaptation of the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems.  A number of studies have investigated the efficacy of towing in improving sprinting speed and the effect of towing on the kinematics of sprinting.  However, many of those studies have yielded inconsistent results.  The inconsistencies are due, in part, to the fact that no studies have subjected individuals to multiple towing force magnitudes in order to investigate the influence of towing force on the kinematics of supramaximal sprinting.  Thus, there is currently no standard means by which to compare the magnitude of the towing force used by various researchers.   Text Box: Electromyographic and Kinematic Evaluation of Provocative Tests for SLAP Legions      Clinicians have a choice between several modalities when diagnosing Superior Labrum Anterior to Posterior (SLAP) lesions: arthroscopy, MRI, and clinical tests. However, surgical and imaging techniques have the disadvantage of being costly. Therefore, effective clinical tests that can diagnose SLAP lesions without the expense associated with surgery or MRI are needed.   The purpose of this study is to biomechanically assess the effectiveness of the clinical tests by quantifying the amount of LHBB muscle activation, muscle selectivity, and the relative motion between the humerus and scapula in 10 clinical tests developed specifically for detecting SLAP lesion pathology.  Sponsored By: Text Box: A Biomechanical Study of Shoe-Turf Interactions on NFL Playing Surfaces      The National Football League (NFL) Subcommittee on Foot and Ankle Injuries is interested in determining how footwear and playing surfaces interact to cause foot and ankle injuries in NFL players. A recent proliferation of "second generation" artificial turfs along with the wide array of footwear now available creates an overwhelming number of combinations of turf and shoes. Twelve of the 31 NFL stadiums (39%) currently feature artificial turf surfaces. However, little is known about the relationships between turf surfaces, footwear, and player performance and injury incidence. The purpose of this study is to quantify the traction of various shoes on relevant natural and artificial turfs (e.g. natural grass, FieldTurf™). Sponsored By:                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: The Cuff Repair Plate: Mechanical Comparison to Other Devices for Bone Anchorage During Cuff Repair      Partnered with Dr. C Scott Humphrey of the Boise Shoulder Clinic, the pullout strength of various anchors used to fasten torn tissueto the humerus was examined.  The cuff repair plate, or CRP, (shown left) would be attached to the glenohumoral head via three ribbed studs.  Sutures are sown through the bone, connecting the plate to the ligaments on the other side, securing them in place.       The effectiveness of this and 3 other fastening methods were compared in blocks simulating various bone densities, including osteo-arthritic bone.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: Alternative to Mammaplasty for Breast Reduction--A Pilot Study      Extremely large breasts are associated with neck, back and shoulder pain in some women.  Breast reduction surgery, known as mammaplasty, is an approved medical option employed by women seeking to reduce symptoms related to breast size.  However, the procedure is not without risk and often results in post-operative morbidity associated with the removal of significant amounts of breast tissue.  An alternative approach may be to surgically move (relocate) the existing breast tissue to a more anatomically favorable position on the chest wall, thereby reducing the amount of tissue removed or eliminating the need for reduction completely.  The purpose of this pilot study is to examine the biomechanical effects of this alternative procedure to breast reduction surgery to determine if moving (relocating) breast tissue to a more optimal anatomical location will achieve positive effects similar in scope to breast reduction surgery.

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: Computer Simulation of the Musculo-Skeletal System of the Female Lower Extremity      COBR researchers are using advanced computer modeling techniques to compute the force in the ACL during landing.  While modeling techniques have been used to study walking, jumping, and even landing from a jump, all existing knee models are based on male anatomy.  The new model will be a major improvement over existing computer models because it is being created using female anatomical and strength data, allowing us to answer gender-related questions.  The general objective of this study is to develop a three-dimensional detailed musculoskeletal model of the female knee, complete with female bony geometry, joint laxity, and muscle geometrical and mechanical properties.  This model will be used to calculate muscle, joint contact, and knee ligament forces during a landing from a jump.  Once validated, the model will be used to evaluate the effects of landing posture and knee joint geometry on the ACL force during landing.   Text Box: TenXsys SMART Project 10.             COBR lab, in collaboration with TenXsys, Inc. of Eagle Idaho, is conducting a research study to evaluate and validate a non-intrusive and non-invasive device to analyze human movement patterns, energy expenditure, and performance for monitoring the rehabilitation of amputees.  Oxygen consumption will be measured using a commercially available telemetric metabolic analysis system during both simple and complex motions relevant to rehabilitation.  At the same time, heart rate, skin temperature, trunk position and acceleration, limb position and acceleration, and GPS coordinate information will all be collected non-invasively using the TenXsys, Inc. SMART monitor. 12.       The purpose of this project is to develop a health and motion monitoring sensor and analysis system to support the return of military personnel with prosthetic devices to active duty.  There are increasing numbers of soldiers with prosthetics returning to active duty if they are performance capable.  There are significant challenges to monitoring physiological and biomechanical parameters of rehabilitating personnel in a non-laboratory environment and in providing useful performance capability assessment data.  This project will demonstrate that a small, non-intrusive sensor system can provide real time and long-term data recording of human movement patterns and energy expenditure through motion and physiological monitoring.  This study is being funded by TenXsys, Inc. as a subcontract to a project being funded by the Department of Defense.   Text Box: Biomechanical Aspects of the Lumbar Spine in Gymnasts      The lumbar spine is very susceptible to injury due to its relatively narrow structure and its role in bearing all the weight of the upper body above the level of the sacrum, especially during rapid and forceful body movements.  Injuries are especially common at the L5/S1 (L5-the lowest lumbar vertebra and S1-the sacrum) junction, occurring  frequently in swimming, weightlifting and gymnastics.       The purpose of this study is to test if there is a difference in muscle activity and biomechanical aspects of the lumbar spine between gymnasts and a control group in both a static and dynamic movement.