HSS 387 – Biomechanics – Motion analysis of a movement: comparison of two conditions

Hallmark Assignment

Motion analysis of a movement: comparison of two conditions

Purpose: The ability to observe a movement task critically and describe the movement accurately and precisely is an essential element to performing a job as a(n) fitness/exercise specialist, athletic coach, PE teacher, and clinician. Accurate and clear descriptions of a movement task allow you to communicate with other professionals efficiently, and the identification of the muscles involved  in the movement task allow you to plan and prescribe effective exercises for your clients/patients. Additionally, the ability to recognize different movement patterns detected between two individuals permits you to further improve the effectiveness of your exercise prescription.

The purpose of this assignment is to observe a movement task/exercise that is performed by two different types of individuals, either healthy/injured or skilled/less skilled. You will observe a set of time-series photos of the activity and break down each phase of the activity to identify various components of the movement task (joint movements/positions, joint range of motion, resistance forces, etc.). Based on the joint movement and the resistance force identified for each section of movement task, the students will draw inferences as to which muscles are active at that time and how these muscles are activated (identification of the role of muscles). Next, you will compose a written comparison of the movement tasks performed by the two individuals. You will identify the differences between the two individuals, problems associated with the movement by the injured/less skilled, and seek solutions (such as exercise prescription) to facilitate a more effective/normal movement. Finally, you will describe the implications of the effects of the prescribed exercises.

Submission: The assignment should be submitted via FolioTek (link in Blackboard) in PDF format with the student’s last name in the document title. If assignment is not submitted to FolioTek, no grade is given to the assignment. During submission of the paper portion of the assignment, the paper should be assessed for plagiarism using the Safe Assign function in Blackboard. The submission due date is indicated on the course calendar in the syllabus.

Process:

1. Examine the phases of the movement task via the time-series photos provided on Blackboard.
2. Critically observe and analyze the movement task performed by the “healthy”,” “skilled” or “non-injured” individual. For each phase of the movement task, determine the following for the individual joints assigned by the instructor:

For each underlined phase of the movement task:

1. Identify the joint movement for three separate joints (ex. horizontal abduction occurs at the shoulder joint during the down-phase of a push-up, or no movement at the trunk during a push-up). Note! The “movement” during a phase means the change in the joint position during the phase! Discuss the assigned joints only. If no movement has occurred, put the joint position in the blank.
2. Determine the plane and the axis of rotation for each joint movement (ex. shoulder horizontal abduction occurs in transverse plane and about the vertical axis).
3. Identify the resistance force acting against the joint movement and determine how it is acting (the direction it is pulling the body/limb) on the body/body segment (ex. the arm held horizontally in front of the body acts as the downward resistance, the arm weight, and it tries to extend the shoulder).
4. Based on what you found in steps above, identify one primary agonistic muscle group that is active at that particular joint during the movement for that phase. Also name one muscle in that muscle group (ex. if the hip extensors are the active muscle group, biceps femoris would be one of the muscles acting at the joint).”Hamstrings” and “Quadriceps” do not qualify as an agonistic muscle group and will not be accepted.
5. Identify the type of muscle contractions the muscle group responsible for the joint movement during the phase (concentric, eccentric, or isometric). Note: there may be no muscle contraction at all; in that case, you can put “relaxed” in the chart.

3. Critically observe and analyze the movement task performed by the “injured,” “less-skilled” or “taped” individual. Be sure to analyze the same joints as you did for process “2” above. Follow the same steps under the process “2”.
4. Using the data you gathered in the above steps, compare the movement tasks performed by two different types of individuals in a coherent, written summary. Your paper should include an introduction, discussion, and conclusion based on the steps listed below:

NOTE!!: You may NOT see much differences in the movement analysis tables, but you may want to make a note of small differences in variables such as joint angles, body orientations, jump height, etc. to discuss them in the paper process.

1. Discuss the two most significant differences you observed in the movement task between the two types of individuals (ex. differences in the range of motion at the given joints, different degrees of muscles activation at the joints, different role of the muscles or lack thereof, different in base of support/stability, etc.).
2. Indicate possible implications or consequences that may be associated with the differences observed in “injured” or “less-skilled” individual compared with the “healthy” or “skilled” individual that you identified above (ex. lack of knee flexion requires the hip to move through greater ROM, and that may require different muscles groups to work excessively, etc.).
3. Make specific recommendations to modify the movement task performed by the “injured” or “less-skilled” individual to make it more like the “healthy” or “skilled” individual (ex. lack of knee flexion may be addressed by improving the certain muscular strength or by increasing specific muscular flexibility). Be specific. With your recommendations, provide a few exercises to address the consequences identified. Discuss why these exercises would prove beneficial for the “less skilled” or “injured” individual.

5. The paper portion of the Hallmark assignment must be assed for plagiarism using the Safe Assign feature in Blackboard prior to submission in FolioTek. Students must upload their completed paper to Blackboard and select the Safe Assign feature on the submission link under the Hallmark Tab. Without a plagiarism assessment, no grade will be given to the Hallmark task and students will receive a zero. No exceptions will be granted. All documents uploaded to Blackboard and FolioTek must be in PDF format and the student’s last name must be saved in the document title. Points will be deducted if assignments are not submitted properly.