OBJECTIVES Many studies have investigated the kinematics of the lumbar spine and the morphological features of the lumbar discs. However, the segment-dependent immediate changes of the lumbar intervertebral space height during flexion-extension motion are still unclear. This study examined the changes of intervertebral space height during flexion-extension motion of lumbar specimens. METHODS ...

BACKGROUND Reproducibility measurements of the range of motion are an important prerequisite for the interpretation of study results. The aim of the study is to assess the intra-rater and inter-rater reproducibility of the measurement of active Range of Motion (ROM) in patients with neck pain using the Cybex Electronic Digital Inclinometer-320 (EDI-320). METHODS In an outpatient clinic in a p...

Objectives: The primary study objective was to assess the effects of visuomotor training on grip strength and wrist movements in adults and the elderly to be efficiently used in rehabilitation. The secondary objective was to compare the post-training changes between the two groups. Methods: This was a pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental study, including healthy individuals aged 25-44 (adults...

Stiff-knee gait is a movement abnormality in which knee flexion during swing phase is significantly diminished. This study investigates the relationships between knee flexion velocity at toe-off, joint moments during swing phase and double support, and improvements in stiff-knee gait following rectus femoris transfer surgery in subjects with cerebral palsy. Forty subjects who underwent a rectus...

Human and animal models using electromyography (EMG) based methods have hypothesized that viscoelastic tissue properties becomes compromised by prolonged repetitive cyclic trunk flexion-extension which in turn influences muscular activation including the flexion-relaxation phenomenon. Empirical evidence to support this hypothesis, especially the development of viscoelastic tension-relaxation an...

Spinal integration of sensory signals associated with hip position, muscle loading, and cutaneous sensation of the foot contributes to movement regulation. The exact interactive effects of these sensory signals under controlled dynamic conditions are unknown. The purpose of the present study was to establish the effects of combined plantar cutaneous afferent excitation and hip movement on the H...

Lumbar side bending movements coupled with extension or flexion is a known low back pain (LBP) risk factor in certain groups, for example, athletes participating in sports such as hockey, tennis, gymnastics, rowing and cricket. Previous research has shown that sagittal spinal postures influence the degree of spinal rotation, with less rotation demonstrated at end of range extension and flexion....

Robotic knee prostheses have been improving, thereby raising the quality of life for above knee amputees. To continue this progression requires robust and versatile research tools to study the subtle biomechanical interactions between the human and the prostheses. To serve this purpose, we have created a tethered knee prosthesis with flexion and extension torque control. To reduce weight and co...

OBJECTIVE The present study evaluated the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of six clinical tests in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). METHODS There were 29 carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) subjects (mean age 48 years) and 30 control subjects (mean age 45 years). The six clinical tests included Tinel's sign, wrist flexion with fingers extended, wrist flexion with fingers...