Date of Graduation

5-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Health, Human Performance and Recreation

Advisor/Mentor

Gray, Michelle R.

Committee Member/Reader

Fort, Inza L.

Committee Member/Second Reader

DiBrezzo, Ro

Abstract

Standing from a seated position is a task of daily living that is essential for independence relying heavily on balance and lower-extremity muscle strength and coordination (Whitney et al., 2005). With age, many once healthy individuals lose this ability and are institutionalized or find themselves reliant on others for care due to the development of balance disorders or loss of muscle mass. The majority of research present today on transitional movements affected by balance disorders, such as the sit-to-stand transition, has been focused on the elderly population. A correlation has been established between the Sit-To-Stand Test and factors such as postural control, fall risk, lower-extremity strength, proprioception, and degree of disability (Whitney et al., 2005). Among these, the risk of falling and the act of falling has also been shown to have negative effects summarized as “post-fall syndrome” which is characterized by loss of self-efficacy in routine daily tasks resulting in withdrawal, depression, or confusion, as well as, self-imposed restrictions on activity and independence (O’Laughlin, Robitaille, Boivin, & Suissa, 1993). More so, falls resulting in an injury are among the top causes of death in elderly of the United States and costs the nation directly and indirectly around $85 billion per year (Pauley, Devlin, & Heslin, 2006).
In addition to the elderly, another population that is naturally considered to have a higher risk for falls and post-fall syndrome include persons with amputations. This increase in risk is due to altered balance, strength, and gait patterns and puts amputees at danger for injury as well as inactivity as a result of fear of falling (Miller, Speechley, & Deathe, 2001a). Miller, Speechley, and Deathe (2001a) found as much as 52.4% of their sample of amputees to have fallen within the last year, and 49.2% experience an active fear of falling. The sit-to-stand transition is often the limiting factor, even above walking, in mobility of persons with amputations; the Sit-To-Stand Test has been considered an evaluative tool for functional 3 mobility and risk of falling. Even with the high risk of falling, the very limited research on assessing stability and muscle recruitment derivations among amputee populations has controversial results. Therefore, this study will qualitatively assess functional mobility by its two main components of stability and coordinated muscle recruitment through a Sit-to-Stand Test with measurements of time to stabilization and degree of muscle group activation. In particular, this study will investigate the interactions between lower-extremity muscle coordination and time to stabilization in relation to sit-to-stand performance through cinematography analysis software, as well as muscle activation through the use of electromyography (EMG). Very little research has been completed on the comparison of amputees’ sound and un-sound limb, therefore, this qualitative study will serve to strengthen the few experiments completed and may potentially contribute to training procedures to improve and preserve the sit-to-stand function in new and aging amputees in the clinical setting.

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Kinesiology Commons

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