A reduced capacity to recover balance following an imbalance episode contributes to the high incidence of falls in older adults. The goal of the present study is to determine how age-related differences in lower extremity neuromuscular and biomechanical properties are related to balance recovery capacity and falls incidence. A detailed understanding of this relationship is necessary for the development of efficacious exercise-based interventions for the prevention of falls.
Morphological And Mechanical Properties Of Normal And Spastic Muscle In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$91,749.00
Summary
Examining muscle structure and function assists in understanding movement. This research will develop non-invasive ultrasound imaging techniques allowing muscle fibre visualisation and assessment of muscle properties during passive length changes and active force production. We will compare structure and function of spastic muscle in children with cerebral palsy and typically developing muscle. The effects of Botox injections on spastic muscle properties will also be investigated.
I am a clinical biomechanical engineer investigating the causes of locomotor dysfunction in children with cerebral palsy and the effects of surgical and neurological interventions for these.
Optimal Choice Of Skin Mounted Marker Locations On The Tibia Effectively Reduces The Effect Of Soft Tissue Artifact.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$56,677.00
Summary
Gait analysis is a technique used to get information about the way people walk. The information is obtained by measuring the position of markers attached to the skin over bony landmarks. These areas of skin are known to move in relation to the landmarks when people walk. This can limit the accuracy of three dimensional analysis of walking. Innovative techniques to overcome this problem will be identified, increasing accuracy of measurement and clinical decision making.
Adaptation Of Muscle To Eccentric Exercise And Its Clinical Applications 194272
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,410.00
Summary
Work in this laboratory has concentrated on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the soreness felt for several days after unaccustomed exercise. This is particularly so when the exercise involves stretching of active muscle, called eccentric exercise, at longer muscle lengths. DOMS is due to microscopic muscle damage. A rapid training effect, leading to reduced soreness from a subsequent bout of similar exercise, has been identified by us as due to a specific structural adaptation. This results ....Work in this laboratory has concentrated on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the soreness felt for several days after unaccustomed exercise. This is particularly so when the exercise involves stretching of active muscle, called eccentric exercise, at longer muscle lengths. DOMS is due to microscopic muscle damage. A rapid training effect, leading to reduced soreness from a subsequent bout of similar exercise, has been identified by us as due to a specific structural adaptation. This results in the optimum length for tension generation moving to longer muscle length so that the muscle is less likely to be damaged during subsequent stretches. Hypothesizing that gross muscle tears arise from the microscopic damage, we have begun investigating whether eccentric exercise training can prevent hamstring muscle injuries. We have shown that eccentric exercise shifts the optimum length for contraction in human hamstring muscles. We are now examining athletes with past injuries, known to be likely to re-injure. Other experiments are designed to show that sports that cause injury do indeed include eccentric exercise of the hamstring muscles. We are also investigating the effectiveness of eccentric exercise in treating apparently normal children who compulsively walk on their toes. We have built monitoring equipment and are monitoring both conventional and exercise based treatments designed to shift muscle optimum length to longer lengths to allow the children to place their heels on the ground. Finally, most muscles contain different fibre types, distinguished mainly by their speed of contraction. It has been suggested that they are not all uniformly susceptible to damage from eccentric exercise, a result not predicted by our theory. However, we hypothesize that secondary factors, particularly the length for generating optimum tension, may be responsible for these differences. We plan to test this idea by measuring properties of different types of motor units.Read moreRead less