Presenter(s): Spencer Smith − Human Physiology, Psychology
Faculty Mentor(s): Li-Shan Chou, Teresa Chen
Poster 30
Research Area: Biomechanics
Funding: Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Mini Grant
The biomechanically challenging sit-to-stand (STS) task, in which subjects repeatedly sit on and stand up from a chair, has been widely used as a functional mobility assessment as well as fatigue protocol. The purpose of this study was to identify the biomechanical measures that could potentially indicate muscle fatigue during repetitive STS movement. Subjects sat on an armless chair with their shanks perpendicular to the floor and were instructed to perform a repetitive STS movement at a self-selected pace, with arms across the chest for 30 minutes. The center of mass (CoM) trajectory on the sagittal plane (plane that divides body into left and right) was plotted and the area enclosed by rising and falling trajectories was calculated (CoMarea). No significant difference of CoMarea from start to finish was found. However, different changing patterns were observed between participants who were able to finish the fatigue protocol (Groupfinish) and those who failed to complete the task (Groupfail). CoMarea in Groupfail was significantly larger than Groupfinish during the first 3 durations (0-60% of STS protocol), indicated by independent t test, p < .05. In Groupfail, CoMarea has a higher value during 20-40% of the STS protocol, while it showed lower values at beginning and end stages.
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