Suchergebnisse

In the past people were excluded from military service and many children suffered under the stigma of having flat feet. Flat feet have been a very popular area of research for years, yet many unresolved issues still exist. There appears to be no universally accepted definition of normal arch height within the general population, which leads to difficulty in identifying and classifying flat feet. A reduced arch appears to have an effect on human movement but the extent of this in dynamic movement remains undefined. The primary aim of this project was to investigate if there were differences in performance of basic gross motor skills between normal and low arched feet in 9 12 year old children. The principal measurement technique proposed was more accurate than previous studies and permitted an in-depth analysis of the foot in dynamic situations. This three-dimensional foot analysis facilitated a greater understanding of the biomechanics of the foot. The research was undertaken in three phases. The initial phase classified approximately one hundred children s feet for inclusion in the subsequent phases. Static footprints and dynamic arch height measurement were recorded. The second phase comprised of three-dimensional foot analysis, and basic functional tasks including, jumping, balancing, and hopping undertaken with thirty children; fifteen low and fifteen normal arched. An additional twenty-four children participated in the third and final phase, which included a lower limb gait analysis with strength and proprioception tests in addition to the tests in phase two. Kinematically the low arched foot had a significantly lower medial arch angle and a reduced forefoot pronation angle throughout the gait cycle. This research also found that they had a more externally rotated hip particularly during the stance phase of gait. Functionally there were remarkably few differences between the two groups. The low arched group had significantly reduced performance in lateral hopping. However they showed stronger plantar ...

Surface temperatures of synthetic turf have become a factor of growing interest and concern, particularly in warmer regions like Australia. However, it is unclear which components of the synthetic turf system contribute to surface temperature. The aim of this paper was to compare the surface temperature of 34 different synthetic turf products that were exposed to the same environmental conditions to ascertain which components of the synthetic turf system and which environmental factors contributed to increased surface temperature. A total of 6,120 observations were taken on the 34 products over the summer months, giving 30 observations for each of the variables on each product. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that the type of infill and shockpad had small-medium, but significant, effects on surface temperature (p<0.001 and p=0.003, respectively), and the interaction between shockpad and tuft gauge was also significant (p=0.047). Level of solar radiation, ambient temperature and relative humidity (p<0.001 in all instances) were the only environmental variables that significantly influenced surface temperature. These findings confirm that both the composition of the synthetic turf system and environmental factors contribute to synthetic turf surface temperature, thus providing important information for synthetic turf manufacturers developing new cool climate products, or for local government authorities selecting products and/or informing safe play for end-users. ; E1