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The purpose of this study was to compare and examine gait parameters, hip joint angle, and lower extremity muscle activity during normal walking before and after Nordic walking (NW) intervention. Nineteen healthy male participants (age 26.3 ± 2.4 years) were included in the study. During walking, we measured gait parameters using the footprint-measuring gait analysis system. Аngular changes of the hip joint were measured with an IMU-type portable three-dimensional motion analyzer and the EMG activity of each muscle. The measurements above were performed before and after a one-hour NW training course. The hip joint angle, muscle activity, and gait parameters were compared before and after the intervention with the same participants. In gait parameters, the stride length and walking speed were significantly greater after the intervention, while the cadence decreased significantly. Both hip flexion and extension angles were significantly greater after the intervention. In terms of muscle activity, the rectus abdominis, the tibialis anterior, and the gastrocnemius were very different after the intervention. According to previous reports, employing a large stride length during NW would affect the normal gait after the training. The use of the Nordic pole may have stimulated a substantial forward movement in the lower extremities using the large range of motion of the hip joints. The benefits of NW include enhanced forward propulsion during gait and additional stability during the stance phase due to the greater support surface provided by the poles.

Limb-loaded walking using ankle weights has been widely applied to increase exercise intensity in older adults. Examining changes in the activation pattern between proximal (RFP) and distal (RFD) regions of the rectus femoris (RF) muscle is key to clarifying gait deficits in older adults. The aim of this study was to determine regional neuromuscular regulation within the RF muscle following three-month limb-loaded walking in older adults. The study participants were 22 healthy older adults (69 ​± ​6.3 years) who walked at least 160 ​min per month. Surface electromyography (EMG) and motion capture were used to measure the neuromuscular activities of RFP and RFD and generate kinematic data on the left lower extremity on walking for 240 ​s at the preferred gait speed on a treadmill at pre- and post-intervention, respectively. Averaged rectified values (ARV) of RFP and RFD were normalized by maximum values of ARV during a gait cycle within ten consecutive gait cycles. Normalized ARV of RFP was greater than RFD at 30%–40% and 70%–90% of the gait cycle and hip joint flexion at 0%–100%, and the walking speed and swing timing at post-were greater than at pre-intervention (p ​ 0.05). The activity of RFP compared with RFD and hip joint flexion were increased following limb-loaded walking intervention in older adults.

Abstract Background Sit-to-stand movements are a necessary part of daily life, and excessive mechanical stress on the articular cartilage has been reported to encourage the progression of osteoarthritis. Although a change in hip joint angle at seat-off may affect hip joint contact force during a sit-to-stand movement, the effect is unclear. This study aimed to examine the effect of the hip joint angle at seat-off on the hip joint contact force during a sit-to-stand movement by using a computer simulation. Methods A musculoskeletal model was created for the computer simulation, and eight muscles were attached to each lower limb. Various sit-to-stand movements were generated using parameters (e.g., seat height and time from seat-off to standing posture) reported by previous studies. The hip joint contact force for each sit-to-stand movement was calculated. Furthermore, the effect of the hip joint angle at seat-off on the hip joint contact force during the sit-to-stand movement was examined. In this study, as the changes to the musculoskeletal model parameters affect the hip joint contact force, a sensitivity analysis was conducted. Results and conclusions The hip joint contact force during the sit-to-stand movement increased approximately linearly as the hip flexion angle at the seat-off increased. Moreover, the normal sit-to-stand movement and the sit-to-stand movement yielding a minimum hip joint contact force were approximately equivalent. The effect of the changes to the musculoskeletal model parameters on the main findings of this study was minimal. Thus, the main findings are robust and may help prevent the progression of hip osteoarthritis by decreasing mechanical stress, which will be explored in future studies.

Background: Immediately after patients undergo total hip arthroplasty (THA), they are often coached through the process of rising from the bed to prevent dislocation. However, motion analysis of this process, which can guide coaching methods, has not been conducted. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether there is a difference in hip joint angle, rise time, pain, and difficulty based on the method of rising from the bed in postoperative patients, immediately after THA.Methods: Twenty patients who underwent THA were enrolled in this study. Seven days after surgery, 3-D motion analysis was performed while subjects rose from the bed using six different methods that include rising from the bed using either the affected or non-affected side either with or without assistance. Hip joint angle, rise time, pain, and difficulty were evaluated.Results: In all six methods, the maximal hip joint angle of the affected side was in the safe range. The maximal hip adduction angle and adduction angle at maximum flexion of the affected side were significantly lower in patients who rose from the bed using their affected side than in those who rose using their non-affected side. There were no differences in maximal hip flexion angle, internal rotation angle, internal rotation angle at maximum flexion of the affected side, rise time, pain, or difficulty regardless of the direction of rising from the bed or the use of assistance.Significance: Coaching patients to rise from the bed is better performed when using the most optimal method that takes into consideration the movement direction and patient's individuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-leg sitting is locus posture performed well in Asian area, and a lifestyle and culture are thought to affect it. It is usually essential to cross-leg sitting carried out in the case o f Zen meditation to maintain cross-leg sitting locus in a relaxed state to perform locus posture in floor, and to perform it in hip joint flexion o f bilateral feet, abduction, and lateral rotation position in the meditation for a long time. The spinal column o f cross-leg sitting was intended that aligning it confirmed backbone in lumbar vertebrae being displaced than rest standing position in the kyphosis direction or raising a bearing surface whether aligning it changed into lordotic projection from the lumbar vertebrae kyphosis direction. The thoracic vertebra angle and the lumbar vertebrae angle measured it using SpinalMouse®. We decided to measure a thoracic vertebra angle, a lumbar vertebrae angle when we changed the height o f the target rest standing position and the bearing surface o f cross-leg sitting. The thoracic vertebra angle did not change by raising the bearing surface o f cross-leg sitting, however the lumbar vertebrae angle changed. It showed a significant correlation between hip joint flexion, abduction, an external rotation angles and the change o f the lumbar vertebrae angle. Results o f this study suggested that lumbar, aligning it changed to lordosis in the high cross-leg sitting thing that we changed. The quantity that aligning it biases into lordosis o f the lumbar part is related to the flexion o f the nip joint, abduction, external rotation flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Randomized control trial with experimental design. To find out the effect of static stretching on hamstring flexibility, to find out the prevalence of limited hamstring flexibility. 140 (70 males and 70 females) school going children were selected from government school who met the selection criteria were equally divided into control and experimental groups. The control group received no intervention while the experimental group received static stretching session for hamstrings. Hamstrings flexibility was measured using Sit and Reach Test (SRT) and Inclinometer measuring Hip Joint Angle (HJA). Significance of difference between control group and experimental group were measured using t-test using SPSS (21st version). Significance level was set at p < 0.01. Experimental group showed significant improvements in term of SRT (t = 25.219, p < 0.0001) and HJA for both right leg (t = 13.405, p < 0.0001) & left leg (t = 10.070, p < 0.0001). Results of present study indicate that static stretching is effective in improving hamstring flexibility in school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Our work focuses on a new approach of studying asymmetry in walking based on the orientation of the synchronized bilateral hip–hip cyclograms. Patients with foot drop were included in the study and were asked to walk without an orthosis, and with foot-up splint, calf mounted support strap and ankle wrap. The hip–hip cyclograms were created to quantify gait asymmetry before and immediately after the application of ankle foot orthoses. This approach has never been applied before to study the gait asymmetry in patients with ankle foot orthoses. In order to quantify the gait asymmetry, we have tested the application of the approach based on the inclination angle of the synchronized hip–hip cyclograms. The symmetry index was used as a comparative method to evaluate the symmetry of bipedal walking. The results indicate the correlation between the symmetry index and inclination angle of the synchronized hip–hip cyclograms. The methods based on the inclination angle and symmetry index show slightly different results because the symmetry index depends on discrete variables and is unable to reflect the asymmetry as it evolves over a complete gait cycle. The inclination angle of the hip–hip cyclogram depends on the complete gait cycle. Except for the inclination angles of patients with the support strap, the results show that the new approach did not identify significant improvement in the gait symmetry after the application of the orthoses. The approach based on the orientation of the hip–hip cyclograms can be used as an additional approach for determining the gait asymmetry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Randomized control trial with experimental design. To find out the effect of static stretching on hamstring flexibility, to find out the prevalence of limited hamstring flexibility. 140 (70 males and 70 females) school going children were selected from government school who met the selection criteria were equally divided into control and experimental groups. The control group received no intervention while the experimental group received static stretching session for hamstrings. Hamstrings flexibility was measured using Seated Reach Test (SRT) and Inclinometer measuring Hip Joint Angle (HJA). Significance of difference between control group and experimental group were measured using t-test using SPSS (17th version). Significance level was set at p ≤ 0.01. Experimental group showed significant improvements in term of SRT (t = 25.219, p ≤ 0.0001) and HJA for both right leg (t = 13.405, p ≤ 0.0001) and left leg (t = 10.070, p ≤ 0.0001). Results of present study indicate that static stretching is effective in improving hamstring flexibility in school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limb-loaded walking using ankle weights has been widely applied to increase exercise intensity in older adults. Examining changes in the activation pattern between proximal (RFP) and distal (RFD) regions of the rectus femoris (RF) muscle is key to clarifying gait deficits in older adults. The aim of this study was to determine regional neuromuscular regulation within the RF muscle following three-month limb-loaded walking in older adults. The study participants were 22 healthy older adults (69 ​± ​6.3 years) who walked at least 160 ​min per month. Surface electromyography (EMG) and motion capture were used to measure the neuromuscular activities of RFP and RFD and generate kinematic data on the left lower extremity on walking for 240 ​s at the preferred gait speed on a treadmill at pre- and post-intervention, respectively. Averaged rectified values (ARV) of RFP and RFD were normalized by maximum values of ARV during a gait cycle within ten consecutive gait cycles. Normalized ARV of RFP was greater than RFD at 30%-40% and 70%-90% of the gait cycle and hip joint flexion at 0%-100%, and the walking speed and swing timing at post-were greater than at pre-intervention ( p  ​< ​0.05). No significant differences were noted in the RFP to RFD activity ratio (RFP/RFD ratio) between pre- and post-intervention, and there was no correlation between the RFP activity level and hip flexion angle in the swing phase ( p > 0.05). The activity of RFP compared with RFD and hip joint flexion were increased following limb-loaded walking intervention in older adults., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2021 Chengdu Sport University. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.)

[Purpose] This study aimed to determine static balance according to hip joint angle of the unsupported leg during one-leg standing. [Subjects and Methods] Subjects included 45 healthy adult males and females in their 20s. During one-leg standing on the non-dominant leg, the position of the unsupported leg was classified according to hip joint angles of point angle was class. Static balance was then measured using a force plate with eyes open and closed. The total length, sway velocity, maximum deviation, and velocity on the mediolateral and anteroposterior axes of center of pressure were measured. [Results] In balance assessment with eyes open, there were significant differences between groups according to hip joint angle, except for maximum deviation on the anteroposterior axis. In balance assessment with eyes closed, there were significant differences between total length measurements at 0° and 30°, 60° and between 30° and 90°. There were significant differences between sway velocity measurements at 0° and 30° and between 30° and 90°. [Conclusion] Thus, there were differences in static balance according to hip joint angle. It is necessary to clearly identify the hip joint angle during one-leg standing testing.