Psychophysical studies have reported an overestimation of limb position in the direction of movement during the early part of active movements. The main hypothesis tested in this study is that the overestimation results from a process of forward prediction of limb state driven by an efference copy of the outgoing motor command. This hypothesis predicts that position overestimation should decrea...

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine whether electrical stimulation of the tensor fascia lata muscle decreases voluntary maximum resistance to passive abduction motion in participants without disease of the central nervous system. [Subjects] The participants were 16 healthy men. [Methods] The hip joint was moved from 10° adduction to 0° adduction with an angular velocity of 7°/s. Du...

BACKGROUND Pelvis and trunk motions during baseball pitching are associated with ball velocity. Thus, limits in hip flexibility may adversely affect pitching biomechanics and the ability to generate ball velocity. HYPOTHESES Professional baseball pitchers will have less passive range of motion in the nondominant hip and the measured ranges of motion of both the nondominant and dominant hips w...

Legged robots have been studied and developed for a long time. The primary advantage of legged motion is that they can traverse terrains inaccessible to wheeled robots. Biped robots are probably the most complicated of legged robots. Despite their complexity there has been a substantial amount of work done in the field including different techniques that have been developed to model, design and...

1. When a visual target is moved by the subject's hand (self-moved target tracking), smooth pursuit (SP) characteristics differ from eye-alone tracking: SP latency is shorter and maximal eye velocity is higher in self-moved target tracking than in eye-alone tracking. The aim of this study was to determine which signals (motor command and/or proprioception) generated during arm motion are respon...

We studied the extent to which mechanical coupling and neuromuscular control limit finger independence by studying passive and active individuated finger movements in healthy adults. For passive movements, subjects relaxed while each finger was rotated into flexion and extension by a custom-built device. For active movements, subjects moved each finger into flexion and extension while attemptin...

Results: Rehabilitation programs following anterior shoulder instability procedures utilizing passive motion provided by a CPM device, a physical therapist, or patient selfdirected exercises can be found in the literature. However, no outcome studies on these rehabilitation protocols have been found. Therefore, in light of no unanimity of opinion, rehabilitation programs need to be based on sou...

BACKGROUND Scapulothoracic muscle activity is believed to be important for normal scapulothoracic motion. In particular, the trapezius and serratus anterior muscles are believed to play an important role in the production and control of scapulothoracic motion. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different levels of muscle activity (active versus passive arm elevation) on three...

Validity of a clinical test can be defined as the extent to which the test actually assesses what it is intended to assess. In order to investigate the validity of manual physical assessment of the spine, it is therefore essential to establish what physical therapists intend to assess when they are applying these tests. The aims of this study were to (1) establish what manual physical therapist...

objectives: spasticity and contracture in flexor muscles of the wrist may occur after stroke, especially in which early recovery did not appear. splints are prescribed to reduce spasticity and to prevent contracture after stroke. although there is a few research in this field. the aim of this study was to examine the impact of the extension splint on function, spasticity, and range of motion of...