• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.164-174
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• 2023

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the impact characteristics of the lower extremity on strike pattern during running. Method: 19 young subjects (age: 26.53 ± 5.24 yrs., height: 174.89 ± 4.75 cm, weight: 70.97 ± 5.97 kg) participated in this study. All subjects performed treadmill running with fore-foot strike (FFS), mid-foot strike (MFS), and rear-foot strike (RFS) to analyze the impact characteristics in the lower extremity. Impact variables were analyzed including vertical ground reaction force, lower extremity joint moments, impact acceleration, and impact shock. Accelerometers for measuring impact acceleration and impact shock were attached to the heel, distal tibia, proximal tibia, and 50% point of the femur. Results: The peak vertical force and loading rate in passive portion were significantly higher in MFS and FFS compared to FFS. The peak plantarflexion moment at the ankle joint was significantly higher in the FFS compared to the MFS and RFS, while the peak extension moment at the knee joint was significantly higher in the RFS compared to the MFS and FFS. The resultant impact acceleration was significantly higher in FFS and MFS than in RFS at the foot and distal tibia, and MFS was significantly higher than FFS at the proximal tibia. In impact shock, FFS and MFS were significantly higher than RFS at the foot, distal tibia, and proximal tibia. Conclusion: Running with 3 strike patterns (FFS, MFS, and RFS) show different impact characteristics which may lead to an increased risk of running-related injuries (RRI). However, through the results of this study, it is possible to understand the characteristics of impact on strike patterns, and to explore preventive measures for injuries. To reduce the incidence of RRI, it is crucial to first identify one's strike pattern and then seek appropriate alternatives (such as reducing impact force and strengthening relevant muscles) on that strike pattern.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.391-399
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• 2019

Purpose: This study investigated the three-dimensional moment values of the hip joint for subjects with artificial leg length alterations and subjects with unaltered leg lengths. Methods: Forty-two healthy adults (8 men, 34 women) participated in this study. The selected subjects were able to walk normally, had less than a 1 cm leg length discrepancy, and were instructed to wear shoes that fit their feet. The study participants performed 8 dynamic gait trails to measure the hip joint moment using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. Kinetic and dynamic three-dimensional gait analysis data were collected from infrared cameras, and a force plate was used to standardize the weight of each subject. Results: There were significant correlations between the differences in the leg length discrepancy during right extension, right flexion, right internal rotation, and left extension in hip joint moments (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between the differences in shoe conditions during left extension, right flexion, right extension, and right internal rotation in the hip moments (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study suggests that a leg length discrepancy can affect hip joint moment, which may further exacerbate musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis in lower extremity joints. Therefore, further studies should be conducted to verify the impact of clinical interventions on differences in hip joint moment values to correct leg length discrepancies and prevent osteoarthritis in lower extremity joints.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.90-101
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• 2003

Gait analysis can provide a better understanding of how the alignment of the lower limb and foot can contribute to force observed at the knee. Anatomic and mechanical factors that affect loading in the knee pint can contribute to pathologic change seen at the knee in degenerative pint disease and should be considered in treatment plan. The purpose of this study is to present the gait analysis data and to determine whether there is any relationships between alignment of the lower limb, foot progression angle and knee pint moments in elderly healthy women with 3-dimensional motion analyzer. The results were as follows; 1. Cadence showed 114.8 steps/min, gait speed showed 1.05 m/s, time per a stride showed 1.06 sec, time per a step showed 0.53 sec, single-supporting phase was 0.41 sec, double-supporting phase was 0.24 sec, stride length was 1.04 m, Step length was 0.56 m. 2. According to the parameters of kinematics, the maximal knee flexion angle through swing phase showed left $46.82^{\circ}$, right $40.19^{\circ}$ and the maximal knee extension angle showed left $-1.32^{\circ}$, right $2.01^{\circ}$. knee varus showed left $26.90^{\circ}$, right $30.93^{\circ}$. 3. Moment, one of kinetic parameters of knee pint the maximal flexion moment showed left 0.363. Nm/kg, right 0.464 Nm/kg and maximal extension moment showed left 0.389 Nm/kg, right 0.463 Nm/kg. The maximal. adduction moment showed left 0.332 Nm/kg, right 0.379 Nm/kg and the maximal internal rotatory moment showed left 0.13 Nm/kg, right 0.140 Nm/kg. 4. On sagittal plane, the maximal power of knee joint showed left 0.571 J/kg, right 0.629 J/kg. On coronal plane, the maximal power of knee joint showed left 0.11 J/kg, right 0.12 J/kg. On transverse plane, the maximal power of knee joint showed left 0.058 J/kg, right 0.072 J/kg. 5. The subject who had varus alignment of the lower extremity had statistically higher in knee adduction moment in mid stance phase. 6. The subject who had large foot progression angle had statistically lower in knee adduction moment in late stance phase. A relationship was observed between the alignment of the lower extremity and the adduction moment of the knee joint during stance phase. Hence, we need some research to figure, out the change of adduction moment according to the sort of knee joint osteoarthritis and the normal geriatrics as well. And we also require more effective, specific therapeutic program by making use of those background of researches.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.31-38
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of changing the steps height on the joint moment of lower extremity in stair-descent activity of elderly persons. Data were collected by 3-D cinematography and force platform. 9 male elderly subjects in the 60s and 70s participated in this study. All subjects performed a stair-descent in four different heights of stairs (10, 14, 18, 22cm) having 5 step staircase. The results were as follows. 1. For the step height of 22cm the maximum. plantarflexion moment was the smallest and the largest for the step height of 14cm. 2. There was not a statistical difference shown for the extension moment of the knee joint for the different height of steps. 3. There was not a statistical difference shown for the flexion moment of the hip joint for the varying height of steps but on average for the 18cm step this increased rapidly. 4. The smallest maximum. value for inversion moment was revealed for the step height of 10cm and this increased significantly for the step height of 22cm. 5. The smallest maximum. value for abduction moment of the hip joint was revealed for the step height of 10cm and this increased significantly for the step height of 22cm. 6. There was no significant difference shown for the maximum. abduction moment for the hip joint. The main conclusion is that there is a huge difference in the moment of the lower extremities for the elderly while walking down a stairs with a step height above 18 cm and that this moment increased or decreased rapidly under a condition of step height being 22cm. With the results from this research and related research of elderly walking upstairs it can be shown that the step height has a large role in the safety for the elderly.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.47-61
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to determined the force and moment of the ankle and the knee joint at different step length relative to the length of the lower extremity during a steady running. Six digital cameras(Qualisis) and a forceplatform(A.M.T.I) were used to obtain the kinematic data of the segments and kinetic data on the running at speed of 5.18m/s. The force and moment measured from six subjects participated in this study were limited to the support phase and their values were averaged at the moment of heel strike, mid stance, and toe off of a running for making a comparison between the condition 1(relative step length 1.1) and the condition 2(relative step length 1.4). It was concluded that internal forces except mediolateral force of the condition 2 were greater in the ankle and the knee joint than those of the condition 1, but all moments of condition 2 were greater from the descriptive statistic point of view. For the future study, it was needed to consider a number of subjects, a various running speed, and a individual step preference for applying generally results to the running strategy.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to analyze the biomechanical differences of lower extremity joints of the frontal plane during sidestep cutting in male and female Judo athletes. In the knee and hip joint, the female group showed a smaller angle than the male group at the time of IC(initial contact). But peak knee joint adduction moment of female group was greater than male group(p<.05). Therefore, female Judo athletes were more likely to injure their knees at the point where their initial foot contacted the ground than male athletes during sidestep cutting.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of landing height on the lower extremity during a counter movement jump. Fourteen healthy male subjects (age: $27.00{\pm}2.94$ yr, height: $179.07{\pm}5.03$ cm, weight: $78.79{\pm}6.70$ kg) participated in this study. Each subject randomly performed three single-leg jumps after s single-leg drop landing (counter movement jump) on a force platform from a 20 cm and 30 cm platform. Paired t-test (SPSS 18.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) was performed to determine the difference in kinematics and kinetics according to the height. All significance levels were set at p<.05. The results were as follows. First, ankle and knee joint angles in the sagittal plane increased in response to increasing landing height. Second, ankle and knee joint angles in the frontal plane increased in response to increasing landing height. Third, there were no significant differences in the moment of each segment in the sagittal plane for the jumping height increment. Fourth, ankle eversion moment and knee valgus moment decreased but hip abduction moment increased for the jumping height increment. Fifth, Ankle and knee joint powers increased. In percentage contribution, the ankle joint increased but the knee and hip joints decreased at a greater height. Lastly, as jumping height increased, the power generation at the ankle joint increased. Our findings indicate that the height increment affect on the landing mechanism the might augment loads at the ankle and knee joints.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.227-236
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week combined exercise program on gait parameters in elderly women with osteoarthritis. Method: The subjects of this study were 11 elderly women (age: $67.09{\pm}2.47$, height: $157.35{\pm}4.30cm$, weight: $62.49{\pm}6.36kg$) with knee osteoarthritis. The combined exercise program of this study was divided into aerobic exercise and lower extremity strengthening exercises. The exercises were performed for 60 minutes per session, three times a week, for a total of 12 weeks. The maximum joint moments of the hip, knee, and ankle joints with walking were obtained with 8-3D cameras (MX-T20, Vicon, USA) and 2-force plate (AMTI OR6-7-400, AMTI, USA). SPSS Windows version 23.0 was used for statistical analysis. A paired t-test was used for pre-post comparison. An alpha level of .05 was utilized in all tests. Results: The maximum extension moment was significantly higher in the hip joint after P1 on the X axis. The maximum joint moment of P3 in extension was statistically significantly lower after intervention. On the Z axis, the maximum joint moment was significantly lower after the exercise intervention at P3. There was a statistically significant increase in the extension moment of the left and right knee joints in the X axis after exercise intervention. In the right ankle joint, P1 (plantar flexion moment) showed a statistically significant high moment after exercise intervention. Conclusion: These results suggest that combined exercise, including lower limb and aerobic exercise, may have a positive effect on mobility and walking moments in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.379-386
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to investigate and identify the differences in lower extremity energy dissipation strategies between drop-landing and countermovement-jump maneuvers. Fourteen recreational athletes(Age : $23.3{\pm}2.1years$, Height : $172.3{\pm}4.0cm$, Weight : $69.2{\pm}4.7kg$) were recruited and instructed to perform drop-landing from 45 cm height and countermovement-jump from 45 cm to 20 cm height. The landing phase was taken as the time between initial contact and peak knee flexion. A motion-capture system consisting of eight infra-red cameras was employed to collect kinematics data at a sampling rate of 200 Hz and a force-plate was used to collect GRF data at a sampling rate of 2000 Hz. Paired t-test was performed to determine the difference in kinematics and kinetics variables between each task. During the countermovement-jump task, all of lower extremity joint ROM and the hip joint eccentric moment were decreased and the ankle joint plantarflexion moment was increased than drop-landing task. In the eccentric work during countermovement-jump task, the ankle joint displayed greater while knee and hip joint showed lesser than drop-landing. Therefore, the knee joint acted as the key energy dissipater during drop-landing while the ankle joint contributed the most energy dissipation during countermovement-jump. Our findings collectively indicated that different energy dissipation strategies were adopted for drop-landing and countermovement-jump.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.105-115
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the mechanical characteristics of lower extremity joint movements at different walking speeds in obese people and suggest the very suitable exercise for obese person's own body weight and basic data for clinical application leading to medical treatment of obesity. This experimental subjects are all males between the ages of 20 and 30, who are classified into two groups according to Body Mass Index(BMI): one group is 15 people with normal body weight and the other 15 obese people. Walking speed is analysed at 3 different speeds ($1.5^m/s$, $1.8^m/s$, $2.1^m/s$) which is increased by $0.3^m/s$ from the standard speed of $1.5^m/s$. We calculated joint moments of lower extremity during stance phase through video recording and platform force measurement.Two-way ANOVA(Analysis of Variance, Mix) is applied to get the difference of moments according to walking speeds between normal and obese groups. Pearson's Correlation Analysis is applied to look into correlation between walking speeds and joint moments in both groups. Significance level of each experiment is set as ${\alpha}=.05$. As walking speed increases maximum ankle plantar flexion moment in the stance phase is smaller in obese group than in normal group, which is suggestive of weak toe push-off during terminal stance in obese group, and the highest maximum ankle plantar flexion moment in obese group during the middle speed walking($1.8^m/s.$). Maximum ankle dorsal flexion moment in obese group is relatively higher than in normal group and this is regarded as a kind of compensatory mechanism to decrease the impact on ankle when heel contacts the floor. Maximum knee flexion and extension moments are both higher in normal group with an increase tendency proportional to walking speed and maximum hip flexion and extension moments higher in obese group. In summary, maximum ankle plantar flexion moment between groups(p<.025), maximum knee moment not in flexion but in extension(p<.001) within each group according to increasing walking speed, and maximum hip flexion and extension moment(p<.001 and p<.004, respectively according to increasing walking speed are statistically significant but knee and hip moments between groups are not. Pearson correlation are different: high correlation coefficients in maximum knee flexion and extension moments, in maximum hip extension moment but not hip flexion, and in maximum ankle dorsal flexion moment but not ankle plantar flexion, in each group. We suspect that equilibrium imbalance develops when the subject increases walking speed and the time is around which he takes his foot off the floor.