MEEG 612: Biomechanics of Human Movement

Term Paper

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Assignment

Survey the literature on a specific topic in the field of biomechanics of human movement. Describe the current state-of-the-art and suggest areas that require further research. Then briefly describe how you might try to investigate the problem yourself.

Topic

Some possible areas from which a specific topic might be chosen include:

Muscle models, joint models, sports biomechanics (e.g., analysis of a joint during a sport), analysis of a sports injury, human movement measurement techniques, gait analysis, electromyography, neural control of movement, functional electrical stimulation, muscle fatigue, movement disorders (e.g. Parkinson’s disease), methods of estimating muscle force, methods of estimating joint moments, focal dystonia in musicians, constitutive properties of muscle or tendon, tendon transfer surgeries, lower back pain, and strength training (e.g., open vs. closed kinetic chain exercises).

Note: nearly all of these areas are too broad. A specific topic from within these fields must be chosen.

The manuscript should be technically well written and organized. It should be well referenced using primary journal articles (i.e., not text books). The following sources may be useful:

ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering Biological Cybernetics Gait & Posture Human Movement Journal of Applied Biomechanics Journal of Biomechanics

Journal of Clinical Biomechanics Journal of Electromyography & Kinesiology Journal of Motor Behavior Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise Motor Control Muscle & Nerve

Other journals which may be of secondary assistance:

Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research Experimental Brain Research IEEE Trans. on Rehabilitation Engineering IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering

Journal of Applied Physiology Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Journal of Neurophysiology Journal of Orthopaedic Research

Format

The paper should be written in the following form, where sections A-C are a maximum of 12 double-spaced pages:

TITLE PAGE

ABSTRACT (max 150 words)

A. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND (~1-2 pages)

Briefly describe what you will be presenting and why it is important. Relate concisely the anatomical, biological and clinical framework of your topic.

B. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS (~7 pages)

Present a literature review of previous research on this topic. Do not simply list in expanded form a number of references, but try to digest what has been done. This section should be in a form such that the current "state-of-the-art" is easily appreciated.

C. PROPOSED RESEARCH (~3-4 pages)

State what you think are the shortcomings in our current knowledge. Suggest areas that require further research.

From these topics, state concisely and specifically a particular research problem that you propose to address. In broad terms, describe how this might be done experimentally. Point out the difficulties that you may expect to encounter in this research.

State what you believe will be the significance of your proposed research.

REFERENCES

References and reference citations should conform to the style of the Journal of Biomechanics. At least ten references are expected.