The study of biomechanics of running in amputees, in terms of kinematic and kinetic parameters, is crucial to gain a deeper insight of how the running gesture is performed by athletes wearing running specific prostheses. Knowledge of how the body moves and what forces are generated has implications for the design of prosthetic components, which must ensure the safety of athletes and help them improve their performance, with the aim of filling the gap between amputee and able-bodied sprinters. The aim of this work is to contribute to the development of a biomechanical analysis software that allows the processing of data collected with different instrumentations in order to provide well-integrated and meaningful outputs. Data collection is the first fundamental step in the analysis and requires careful design and planning of experimental sessions. Two in-vivo tests blocks have been carried out and each test session required specific protocols and specific instrumentations, including Motion Capture cameras, force platforms, wearable force sensors and inertial sensors. In each test session, two types of tests have been performed, one acceleration test and one constant speed test. Afterwards, data must be processed to extract the desired biomechanical parameters. The analysis tool is made up of several interconnected sections. The first part is dedicated to kinematic analysis, aimed at joint angles, while the second part focuses on the analysis of Ground Reaction Forces, impulses, intersegmental forces and joint torques. The results from each section are then compared to highlight the differences between types of tests, types of running surface and prosthesis configurations. All these outcomes should then be organized to provide trainers and orthopaedic technicians with a detailed and intelligible description of the athletes’ tests, for a better qualitative but also quantitative evaluation of the performance.

Experimental Analysis of Running Biomechanics of Elite Paralympic Amputee Sprinters in Treadmill and Track Tests

BARBACANE, SARA
2021/2022

Abstract

The study of biomechanics of running in amputees, in terms of kinematic and kinetic parameters, is crucial to gain a deeper insight of how the running gesture is performed by athletes wearing running specific prostheses. Knowledge of how the body moves and what forces are generated has implications for the design of prosthetic components, which must ensure the safety of athletes and help them improve their performance, with the aim of filling the gap between amputee and able-bodied sprinters. The aim of this work is to contribute to the development of a biomechanical analysis software that allows the processing of data collected with different instrumentations in order to provide well-integrated and meaningful outputs. Data collection is the first fundamental step in the analysis and requires careful design and planning of experimental sessions. Two in-vivo tests blocks have been carried out and each test session required specific protocols and specific instrumentations, including Motion Capture cameras, force platforms, wearable force sensors and inertial sensors. In each test session, two types of tests have been performed, one acceleration test and one constant speed test. Afterwards, data must be processed to extract the desired biomechanical parameters. The analysis tool is made up of several interconnected sections. The first part is dedicated to kinematic analysis, aimed at joint angles, while the second part focuses on the analysis of Ground Reaction Forces, impulses, intersegmental forces and joint torques. The results from each section are then compared to highlight the differences between types of tests, types of running surface and prosthesis configurations. All these outcomes should then be organized to provide trainers and orthopaedic technicians with a detailed and intelligible description of the athletes’ tests, for a better qualitative but also quantitative evaluation of the performance.
2021
Experimental Analysis of Running Biomechanics of Elite Paralympic Amputee Sprinters in Treadmill and Track Tests
Running Biomechanics
Paralympic Sprinters
In vivo tests
Force Platforms
Motion Capture
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/40461