Human Locomotion

Forlagets beskrivelse: In the course of a year, more than 1.9 million runners will fracture at least one bone and approximately 50% will suffer some form of overuse injury that prevents them from running. Despite the widespread prevalence of gait-related injuries, the majority of health care practitioners continue to rely on outdated and ineffective treatment protocols emphasizing passive interventions, such as anti-inflammatory medications and rest. With more than 1000 references and 530 illustrations, Dr. Michaud's text on human locomotion presents a logical approach to the examination, assessment, treatment and prevention of gait-related injuries. Beginning with a complete review of the evolution of bipedality, this textbook goes on to describe the functional anatomy of each joint in the lower extremity, pelvis, and spine. This information is then related to normal and abnormal motions during the gait cycle, providing the most comprehensive description of human locomotion ever published. 'Human Locomotion' also discusses a wide range of conservative interventions, including a detailed guide to manual therapies, a complete review of every aspect of orthotic intervention, along with illustrated explanations of hundreds of rehabilitative stretches and exercises. The final chapter summarizes state-of-the-art, proven conservative treatment interventions, providing specific protocols for dozens of common gait-related injuries, including Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures and hamstring strains. Whether you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, pedorthist or podiatrist, this text provides practical information that will change the way you practice.

The importance of measurements for the proper assessment of human locomotion is increasingly being recognized. The fields of application encompass both healthy and pathological locomotion as encountered in rehabilitation medicine, orthopedics, kinesiology, sports medicine, and the like. Measurement of Human Locomotion provides an up-to-date description of the instrument systems used for measurement of: kinematics of human movement; kinetic quantities experienced by the human body in contact with the ground; and, myoelectric changes associated with locomotor activity. Physical principles behind the operation of various measurement systems are emphasized, as well as signal processing issues that must be addressed in order to obtain and use quantitative measurement variables in biomechanics. The book explains how measurement data are acquired, processed and presented to the user in the environment of a modern, computer-based laboratory. The ultimate aim is to contribute to the processes of the diagnosis and treatment of locomotion disorders. The purpose of Measurement of Human Locomotion is to provide a concise but comprehensive presentation of the systems used for the measurement of human locomotion, with a view to the assessment and diagnosis of the phenomenon.

This book addresses instruments, methodologies and diagnostic methods used to evaluate and diagnose human movement, locomotion and physical status in general. Starting from historical perspective, the idea of understanding human locomotion by applying technical measurement devices and incorporating measurement data into physical representation of gross body movement is presented and explained, an approach known as inverse dynamics. With this approach as a kind of umbrella concept, components of measurement systems including relevant signal and data processing methods are described. Modern instruments to capture body movement by measuring its kinematics, kinetics and surface electromyography (sEMG) are thus described; all systems being used dominantly—if not exclusively—in a movement analysis laboratory setting. Focusing mainly on human posture and gait, but including also examples of movement patterns from selected kinesiological and sports activities, the book attempts to present essentials of biomechanics and biomedical engineering approach to this subject matter. It illustrates how data collected and elaborated by modern engineering technology can complement traditional expert knowledge of a kinesiologist or a medical doctor. The book is applicable in the fields of sports, physical activities, as well as in medical diagnostics and rehabilitation. The examples of this book’s practical application might be in evaluation of efficiency of human gait, in evaluation of skeletal muscle fatigue in physical exercise, in biomechanical diagnostics of traumatological conditions requiring orthopaedic treatment and the like. This book can also be used in planning and executing research endeavours, particularly in a clinical context as a reference for various diagnostics procedures. It presents the lecture notes of a course carrying the same name within Medical Studies in English at the University of Zagreb for more than a decade.

Design and Operation of Locomotion Systems examines recent advances in locomotion systems with multidisciplinary viewpoints, including mechanical design, biomechanics, control and computer science. In particular, the book addresses the specifications and requirements needed to achieve the proper design of locomotion systems. The book provides insights on the gait analysis of humans by considering image capture systems. It also studies human locomotion from a rehabilitation viewpoint and outlines the design and operation of exoskeletons, both for rehabilitation and human performance enhancement tasks. Additionally, the book content ranges from fundamental theory and mathematical formulations, to practical implementations and experimental testing procedures. Written and contributed by leading experts in robotics and locomotion systems Addresses humanoid locomotion from both design and control viewpoints Discusses the design and control of multi-legged locomotion systems

Human footprints provide some of the most emotive and tangible evidence of our ancestors. They provide evidence of stature, presence, behaviour and in the case of early hominin footprints, evidence with respect to the evolution of human gait and foot anatomy. While human footprint sites are rare in the geological record the number of sites around the World has increased in recent years, along with the analytical tools available for their study. The aim of this book is to provide a definitive review of these recent developments with specific reference to the increased availability of three-dimensional digital elevation models of human tracks at many key sites. The book is divided into eight chapters. Following an introduction the second chapter reviews modern field methods in human ichnology focusing on the development of new analytical tools. The third chapter then reviews the major footprint sites around the World including details on several unpublished examples. Chapters then follow on the role of geology in the formation and preservation of tracks, on the inferences that can be made from human tracks and the final chapter explores the application of this work to forensic science. Audience: This volume will be of interest to researchers and students across a wide range of disciplines – sedimentology, archaeology, forensics and palaeoanthropology.

In recent decades, injury has begun to gain prominence as a public health and societal problem. Slipperiness and slip, trip, and fall (STF) injuries are among the greatest obstacles to reducing the injury burden. One of the biggest challenges in STF is defining and measuring slipperiness. After over half a century of serious research on what slipperiness is and how it can be measured, rapid progress has been made in the decade of the 90s. Measuring Slipperiness: Human Locomotion and Surface Factors provides an overview of basic concepts and definitions of terms related to the 'measurement of slipperiness' from the onset of a foot slide to a gradual loss of balance and a fall. The book includes expert group perspectives on human-centered (biomechanical, locomotive, perceptual, and cognitive), and surface-centered (roughness, friction) aspects and approaches. It addresses the injury burden of slipperiness, globally reviews existing slipmeters, and summarizes areas of consensus in the field of slipperiness measurement. Perhaps the most comprehensive treatment of the subject ever compiled, the book contains contributions from North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania including the National Laboratories of Finland, France, the U.K., and the U.S. A valuable, state-of-the-art textbook, it provides students with a useful starting point for understanding the many aspects of STF.

A large number of volumes have been produced summarizing the work on generation and control of rhythmic movements, in particular locomotion. Unfortunately most of them focus on locomotor studies done on animals. This edited volume redresses that imbalance by focusing completely on human locomotor behaviour. The very nature of the problem has both necessitated and attracted researchers from a wide variety of disciplines ranging from psychology, neurophysiology, kinesiology, engineering, medicine to computer science. The different and unique perspectives they bring to this problem provide a comprehensive picture of the current state of knowledge on the generation and regulation of human locomotor behaviour. A common unifying theme of this volume is studying the adaptability of human gait to obtain insights into the control of locomotion. The intentional focus on "adaptability" is meant to draw attention to the importance of understanding the generation and regulation of "skilled locomotor behaviour" rather than just the generation of basic locomotor patterns which has been the major focus of animal studies. The synthesis chapter at the end of the volume examines how the questions posed, the technology, and the experimental and theoretical paradigms have evolved over the years, and what the future has in store for this important research domain.

We were not born to run. If we were, injury rates among runners wouldn't be so high. Of the 12 million runners in the United States, the annual injury rate is close to 50%. This translates into nearly 2 million stress fractures and 4 million sprains/strains. To run injury-free for decades, you have to be strong, coordinated and most of all, well informed. While various experts will give you advice based on anecdotal information (e.g., wear minimalist shoes, strike on your midfoot, and never stretch), this book reviews the scientific literature to show you how to: Develop a running form based on your alignment, prior injuries, and desired running speed. Design a personalized rehab program you can do at home by evaluating your arch height, flexibility, strength, and coordination. Choose a running shoe that is right for you. Select the best preexercise warm-up routine. Treat 25 of the most common running-related injuries with the most up-to-date, scientifically justified treatment prototocols available.