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Leg stiffness and sprint ability in amputee sprinters.
Hiroaki Hobara1, Shuichi Tominaga, Shingo Umezawa
1Research Institute, National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Department of Rehabilitation for the Movement Functions, Namiki 4-1, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. hobara-hiroaki@rehab.go.jp
Prosthetics and Orthotics International
|August 25, 2012
Summary
Amputee sprinters exhibit greater leg stiffness during hopping than able-bodied individuals. This leg stiffness is a key predictor of sprint performance in amputee athletes.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Sports Science
- Prosthetics
Background:
- Leg stiffness (K (leg)) is crucial for evaluating sprint performance in amputee sprinters.
- Understanding K (leg) aids in developing advanced running-specific prostheses (RSP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate leg stiffness (K (leg)) in amputee sprinters during hopping.
- To compare K (leg) between transtibial (TT), transfemoral (TF) amputee sprinters, and able-bodied (AB) individuals.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study design was employed.
- Participants included seven TT amputees, seven TF amputees, and seven AB subjects.
- One-legged hopping at 2.2 Hz was performed, with K (leg) calculated using a spring-mass model.
Main Results:
- Both TT and TF amputee sprinters showed significantly higher K (leg) compared to AB subjects.
- K (leg) during hopping on the sound limb strongly correlated with 100-m sprint personal records for both TT (r = -0.757) and TF (r = -0.855) sprinters.
Conclusions:
- Amputee sprinters possess greater leg stiffness during hopping than inactive non-amputees.
- Leg stiffness during hopping at 2.2 Hz on the sound limb can predict sprint ability in amputee sprinters.
