Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Year of Publication

2019

College

Health Sciences

Department/School/Program

Human Health Sciences

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Human Health Sciences

First Capstone/Thesis Advisor

Dr. Nick Heebner

Abstract

Tibial stress fractures are a major problem for runners and military athletes due to the high-intensity nature of their training. This injury is commonly treated through subjective measures including rest and management of symptoms that are evaluated by a therapist or trainer. With the advancement of technology such as inertial measurement units with accelerometers, clinicians may have the potential to provide an objective way to rehabilitate tibial stress fractures. Wearable technology is becoming more popular to be used in training but has not made it to rehabilitation yet. This study examines the validity of derived measures from the IMeasureU IMU compared to forces calculated from a validated 3D motion capture system during a running task. It was found that an IMU placed on the low back provided good to excellent correlations (0.776-0.972) between IMU derived measures and ground reaction and joint forces. Utilizing IMUs may provide clinicians with a tool to track loading over time, tailor protocols to individual athletes, and possibly heighten the rehabilitation process.

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