Maximum Absolute and Relative Joint Torques during Recovery from a Simulated Trip

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dc.contributor.authorWhitley, Michael Jamesen
dc.contributor.committeechairMadigan, Michael L.en
dc.contributor.committeememberDavy, Kevin P.en
dc.contributor.committeememberNussbaum, Maury A.en
dc.contributor.departmentBiomedical Engineering and Sciencesen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:40:25Zen
dc.date.adate2008-07-25en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:40:25Zen
dc.date.issued2008-06-20en
dc.date.rdate2010-12-22en
dc.date.sdate2008-06-23en
dc.description.abstractPrevious studies have shown that obesity negatively affects balance during quiet standing, yet little is known about its effect on the ability to recover after a postural perturbation. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the effects of obesity on single-step balance recovery from an incipient forward fall. Eight obese (BMI = 33.2 ± 2.4) and eight non-obese (BMI = 24.8 ± 1.8) participants were released from a static forward lean and asked to recover their balance with a single step. Lean angle was progressively increased until they could no longer recover balance with a single step. Peak joint torques and relative effort during balance recovery were calculated and compared across the groups. Obese participants achieved a smaller maximum lean angle compared to non-obese participants. During balance recovery, obese participants exhibited higher ankle plantar flexor torques and relative effort. Trends also suggested higher relative hip extensor effort in the obese. Obese adults exhibited a poorer ability to recover from a forward fall with a single step. In addition, obese adults used a higher percentage of their total hip and ankle strength compared to non-obese adults during balance recovery. This suggests that the poorer ability of recovering from a forward fall in the obese may be related to increased exertion levels during balance recovery.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.identifier.otheretd-06232008-162913en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-06232008-162913/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/33710en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartMJWhitley_Thesis_Resubmit.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjecttripen
dc.subjectobeseen
dc.subjectjoint torquesen
dc.subjectfallen
dc.titleMaximum Absolute and Relative Joint Torques during Recovery from a Simulated Tripen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineBiomedical Engineering and Sciencesen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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