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Sports Biomechanics

Aerodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, and Friction

Biomechanics of Sport Injury

Ergonomics, Technique, and Sports Equipment

Ergonomics, Technique, and Sports Equipment

Ergonomics

Athletes do things throughout the day and night that will greatly affect their performance during competition. Most people think nutrition and rest is the major factor they have to worry about outside of competition that will have a major affect on their performance. This is far from the truth. While proper nutritional habits and rest play a large role in athletic performance, so does proper ergonomical practices.

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Sitting Time

The majority of an athlete’s day is spent sitting down or lying in bed. During this time, the athlete may encounter beds and chairs or develop habits that will directly affect his/her performance. While an athlete is at school/work for six/ten hours a day he/she will be sitting in a desk. While in this desk, the athlete may slouch or make a habit of having a bad posture. Athlete’s will also sit in the car, sit down to eat, and sit down to read or watch TV at night. Bad posture can result in improper skeletal structure growth (especially during growth spurts) due to abnormal stresses being placed on the athlete for long periods of time each day. This applies more to young developing athletes. In addition, the bad posture can strain muscles or fatigue muscles by causing them to be overworked. Often athletes will complain of low back pain, pain in the neck, or pain in between the shoulder blades. Sometimes the culprit is bad posture; however, athletes will think they received this pain from training or competing. Athletes should consider that bad postures can cause alterations in the musculoskeletal system which may produce a decrease in performance.

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Bed Time

Bed time is also quite important. Athletes need their rest, and they need good, quality rest. A hard mattress can cause pressure points while an athlete sleeps. These pressure points can cut off blood flow, which tells the body it needs to reposition itself to relieve the pressure points. The athlete will toss and turn all night, and the quality of sleep will not be good. Since the body does most of its repairing from daily stresses during sleep, quality sleep is very important. In addition, a hard mattress can cause the athlete to put abnormal stresses on the muscles, bones, and joints. Over long periods of time, this can cause inflammation to these structures, which will definitely decrease performance. Athletes will work muscles during practice. The purpose of rest is to repair and recharge. If an athlete sleeps with an inefficient posture, he/she will be working the muscles that need to be resting, and then the overuse of those muscles will result in an injury.

If the athlete’s bed is too soft or sagging, then the athlete can (especially in growth spurts) develop abnormal skeletal structure growth due to abnormal stresses placed on the skeletal system. Also, the athlete will develop bad sleeping postures. These bad postures can harm the spine. If the bed is too soft or has a sag, abnormal stress can be applied all night long to the disc in between the vertebra. This will result in a multitude of problems that can decrease performance or stop the athlete from performing.
The best thing to do is buy a soft but firm mattress. Soft enough that it helps eliminate some of the pressure point problems and firm enough that it will promote good posture. If an athlete sleeps on one side a lot, a good habit for him/her to pick up is using a buddy pillow between the knees. This will take pressure off the lower back and at the same time take pressure off of the knees. By enhancing an athlete’s posture and sleep time, athletes will avoid aches and pains from bad postures. They will allow their body’s better repair phases, and generally they will feel better about themselves. This will help them perform better and become more successful on the field.

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Technique

Athletes employ techniques to execute sports skills. Technique is the use of proper form or proper biomechanics in order to efficiently and effectively complete a skill or task. Proper form and biomechanics can be defined as the use of optimal joint angles and limb positions. Further more technique can be a pattern and sequence of movements which provide optimal performance. This provides the best use of mechanical principles to control and complete movements. Sports skills vary from one sport to another. In some sports there may be several skills and techniques used, while in other sports only one skill may be needed to master.

Athletes use both good and bad technique. World class athletes are technically sound and exercise at the greatest degree of efficiency and safety. When athletes compete and execute good technique they decrease their ability to get hurt. However, when athletes use bad techniques they run the risk of becoming injured. When athletes use good technique their movements become more efficient. This efficiency provides a conservation of energy due to efficient motion. Inefficient motions and techniques take greater energy usage to execute a skill. For instance, runners who have a bounce in their step travel not only horizontally but they travel vertically as well. This is an example of bad technique. Efficient runners should have little or no vertical component. For example, if a runner runs at 180 strides per minute and her head rises 1.5 inches per stride, she will have traveled 22.5 feet vertically or about two flights of stairs every minute. In an hour long race, this runner would have traveled over 1300 feet vertically. This extra distance traveled can deplete valuable energy stores and cause the runner to lose the race.

Coaches and/or the employment of motion analysis systems are imperative for analysis of technique. Coaches can watch the motion and fluidity of movement of an athlete. The coach can then change joint angles and limb positions of the athlete in order to maximize performance. Motion analysis systems can evaluate movements of the athlete in quantifications that the human mind and eye cannot calculate. These systems are becoming increasingly popular and are a valuable part of increasing sport performance.

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Athletic/Sports Equipment

Helmets

Helmets are widely used in sports. Generally they are lined with air, fluid, gel, or foam. The lining acts as a shock absorber during impact. The outer shell layer is made of fiber glass, a high impact plastic, or other material that can with stand a direct blow. The shell must be firm enough that it does not deform during impact. The shell and inner lining protect the skull from fracture or other trauma. The helmet must with stand the environment. Heat can alter the effectiveness (shock absorption) of the shell and liner. As a result some materials under the stress of heat absorb less shock at higher temperatures than lower temperatures.

Much research and testing is put into helmet design, and helmets must meet certain criteria. Helmets are tested by certain organizations (NOCSAE, ASTM, and HECC) and are stamped with that organizations approval for meeting minimum impact standards. Anyone fitting or wearing a helmet should read the guide lines for fitting a helmet from the manufacturer. Proper fitting of the helmet is vital for the maximum protection from the device.

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Padding and Guards

Padding is very important in athletics. It protects underlying tissues from harmful forces that may harm them. Padding provides a larger surface area for the force to be distributed over, or in some cases the padding may redirect the force. Shoulder pads in football are designed to dissipate force as the pad deforms and squishes. The pad also distributes the force over a larger surface area--the whole area of the shoulder pad. These two mechanisms reduce the amount of force on the shoulder complex which would otherwise fracture without the padding.

Athletes feet always impact the ground. Therefore, some of the most important padding an athlete can employ is a good pair of shoes. The force of impact between the foot and ground can reach upwards of 14 times body weight during running. This means an athlete that weights 150 lbs can experience over 2000 lbs of force on his/her feet during running. The human body distributes these forces well. The energy from the impact is absorbed and distributed throughout the body. However, shoe companies spend millions of dollars every year to increase the amount of cushion in the soles of shoes. This cushion absorbs some of the impact forces and relieves the body of the responsibility of absorbing all of the impact force. This greatly reduces injuries to the foot, ankle, knee, hip, and lower back.

Many factors must be considered when choosing padding. One must consider how the padding will affect performance and what tissues the padding will guard. Factors to consider when choosing padding include: the weight and size of the pads, the area the pads will cover, the thickness and density of the materials that make up the pads, the type of force the pads will be dissipating, and the range of motion available to the athlete when wearing the pads. Athletic trainers or sports medicine doctors will be your best source for choosing the proper padding. Consult with them and they should guide you in the right direction. After all, the wrong pad could decrease performance and also pose an increase risk of injury. In addition, athletes should never remove pads from equipment. Removal of padding could be detrimental to the efficiency of energy absorption and energy dissipation by the pad.

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Sports Bras

Sports bras prevent horizontal and vertical movement of the breast during exercise. Bras are designed to limit motion; however some bras do not effectively limit motion. The result is females suffering from tender and sore breast after exercise. A female’s breast can move thousands of times throughout competition, therefore sports bras must be employed to prevent such motion of the breast. Women with a breast size below a C cup may not need a special supportive or extremely restrictive bra. Women with breast C cup or greater will need a firm supportive type bra. Bras should be smooth around all areas. Any rough or sharp areas will lead to irritation. The bra should have non slip straps to insure that it will not fall or lose support during competition. Sports bras can also reduce runner’s nipple in females which is a friction injury to the nipple. The nipple may move and rub the inside of the bra this can produce a very painful condition known as runner’s nipple.

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