Albert Gollhofer

Functional Properties of Adhesive Ankle Taping: Neuromuscular and Mechanical Effects Before and After Exercise

The purpose of the study was to investigate effects of adhesive ankle taping. Using electromyographic, gonio-metric, and thermologic methods, different ankle tapes were tested before and after athletic exercise in simulated inversion trauma. Twelve subjects with stable ankle joints performed five trials: with two different materials, with two taping techniques, and one trial without tape as control. After the simulated inversion trauma, approximately 35% of the initial maximum inversion amplitude was decreased by ankle taping. Depending on the technique, there was a loss of tape stability £14% after 30 min of athletic exercise. Thermologic analysis revealed a postexercise 6°C temperature increase in the foot, especially under the tape. Initially, interpreted as the primary effect, the improved joint stabilization is based on mechanical stiffness caused by the adhesive tape. Joint stability was influenced positively by neuromuscular proprioceptive and physiological processes, characterized by relatively increased electromyographic activation.

Neuromuscular Properties and Functional Aspects of Taped Ankles

We used electromyographic and goniometric methods to test 40 subjects to describe the neuromuscular and biomechanical adaptation of the ankle with respect to application of two different adhesive tapes and to exercises. The neuromuscular responses to inversion injury simulation, together with the mechanical displacements of the joint complex, were analyzed before and after controlled athletic exercises. The proprioceptive amplification ratio was calculated on the basis of the integrated reflex electromyographic results and on the maximum inversion amplitude. Relevant stability gains were achieved immediately after applying tape. There was reduced tape stability after athletic exercise for one of the two tape materials tested. No further loosening was detected, even after prolonged wearing of tape (24 hours). Compared with the unprotected ankle, the taped ankle had a significant increase in the proprioceptive amplification ratio. Both fatigue and mechanical loosening may be responsible for the significant reduction in this ratio immediately after exercise. After the 24-hour interval, the ratio was increased, which could be explained by physiologic neuromuscular regeneration and mechanical restabilization of the tape itself. The sensitivity of the proprioceptive amplification ratio, both to external stabilization and to internal fatigue, supports its potential value to quantify functional joint stability.

Investigations for the Dynamical Analysis of Human Motion

In this paper, an interdisciplinary combination of several state-of-the-art techniques from multibody dynamics, biomechanics, muscle modeling, optimal control, and visualization for the investigation of human motions is described. The goal is to use (wherever possible) and modify (wherever necessary) existing techniques and to investigate what has to be observed to make them work together efficiently. A separate investigation and implementation of the topics often is not sufficient for a combined approach, e.g., when some very sophisticated muscle models described in the literature yield infeasible computation times, even on modern supercomputers, if they are combined with optimal control techniques.First, some basic elements of multibody dynamics and muscle models are described. Then, a state space model for the complete system is derived and optimal muscle stimulations are computed using optimal control techniques. Finally, extensions for the visualization of biomechanical effects are presented and the application to human kick and jump motions is shown. However, the main focus of the paper is the presentation of the interdisciplinary approach and its cooperating methods and not the in-depth description of individual topics or the investigation of a specific biomechanical application.

Grundlagen der Sensomotorik am Sprunggelenk

Rein mechanisch orientierte Konzepte der Stabilisation des Sprunggelenkes sind heute von einer funktionellen Betrachtungsweise abgelost worden.