Browse the latest research summaries in the field of biomechanics for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 121-130 of 203 results
Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2008 • October 1, 2008
This study has shown that manual wheelchair users with no pain or upper-extremity injury exhibit asymmetry during propulsion, with the magnitude of asymmetry impacted by the wheeling environment. The ...
KEY FINDING: Upper-extremity asymmetry was present within each condition.
J Electromyogr Kinesiol, 2010 • February 1, 2010
This study provides a characterization of daily living and mobility activities associated with manual wheelchair propulsion. It identifies activities that result in higher shoulder kinetics compared t...
KEY FINDING: Weight relief resulted in significantly higher forces compared to other activities.
J Biomech, 2009 • May 29, 2009
The study developed an ANN-based technique to predict end-point limb motions using neuromuscular activity feedback from individuals with interrupted spinal cords. Experimental results confirmed the hi...
KEY FINDING: The ANN-based technique achieved highly accurate predictions for altered end-point locomotion (R-values of 0.92 – 0.97).
Gait & Posture, 2009 • November 1, 2009
This study examined the effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) on walking function in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Seventeen individuals with chronic, motor-incomplete SCI participated in...
KEY FINDING: Walking speed increased significantly after the WBV intervention.
Prosthet Orthot Int, 2009 • September 1, 2009
The SMARTWheel has helped to provide the foundation for more thorough analyses of the biomechanics of wheelchair propulsion, to wheelchair ergonomics, and to understanding the mechanisms of repetitive...
KEY FINDING: The SMARTWheel transformed the nascent field of wheelchair propulsion biomechanics by allowing researchers to identify and analyze characteristics such as push-angle, peak forces and moments, and center-of-pressure.
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2009 • October 2, 2009
This study investigated the impact of four different BWSLT approaches on gait quality in individuals with chronic motor-incomplete SCI. The approaches included treadmill with manual assistance (TM), t...
KEY FINDING: All BWSLT approaches improved gait quality in subjects with SCI, increasing cadence, step length, and stride length.
JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA, 2009 • November 1, 2009
The study aimed to characterize a motor-driven treadmill device in conjunction with the TreadScan software system for gait analysis in mice with spinal cord injuries. The results indicated that increa...
KEY FINDING: The TreadScan software successfully differentiates sham animals from injured animals on a number of gait characteristics, including hindlimb swing time, stride length, toe spread, and track width.
Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc, 2009 • January 1, 2009
The study focuses on the development and application of robotic lower limb exoskeletons, particularly those controlled by proportional myoelectric control. This control method uses the wearer's muscle...
KEY FINDING: Healthy humans can quickly adjust to walking with robotic ankle exoskeletons, ultimately using less energy.
J Biomech, 2010 • April 19, 2010
This study optimized and evaluated proportional derivative (PD) controllers for stimulating arm muscles to achieve accurate and robust reaching movements in a computational arm model. The controllers ...
KEY FINDING: Optimized PD controllers can generate accurate and efficient arm movements in a biomechanical model.
J Spinal Cord Med, 2010 • April 1, 2010
This study evaluated factors related to the ability of ambulatory patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) to walk over small obstacles. The results showed that a considerable number of participants fai...
KEY FINDING: A significant proportion (44%) of independent ambulatory participants with SCI failed to walk over obstacles in at least one condition.