Browsing Theses by Subject "Biomechanics"
Now showing items 1-20 of 37
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A biomechanical investigation into the link between simulated job static strength and psychophysical strength: Do they share a “weakest link” relationship?
(University of Waterloo, 2011-01-17)Maximum voluntary forces and psychophysically acceptable forces are often used to set force guidelines for exertions as a means to protect against overexertion injuries in the workplace. The focus of this dissertation was ... -
Biomechanical Predictors of Functionally Induced Low Back Pain, Acute Response to Prolonged Standing Exposure, and Impact of a Stabilization-Based Clinical Exercise Intervention
(University of Waterloo, 2009-07-24)Purpose: Biomechanical differences between people with low back pain (LBP) and healthy controls have been shown previously. LBP has been associated with standing postures in occupational settings. A transient pain-generating ... -
Biomechanics of Lateral Hip Impacts: the Influence of Measurement Technique and Contact Area
(University of Waterloo, 2014-02-21)The experiments presented in this thesis provide novel insight into two scarcely studied areas in the field of lateral hip impact biomechanics. The high energy nature of hip impacts requires high sampling rates for accurate ... -
The Biomechanics of Mammary Epithelial Morphogenesis
(University of Waterloo, 2017-04-28)Major organs and tissues such as the lung, kidney, liver, and the salivary and mammary glands are complex structures, but share a fundamental building block – epithelial cells. During tissue formation – a process known as ... -
Central Nervous System Control of Dynamic Stability during Locomotion in Complex Environments
(University of Waterloo, 2006)A major function of the central nervous system (CNS) during locomotion is the ability to maintain dynamic stability during threats to balance. The CNS uses reactive, predictive, and anticipatory mechanisms in order to ... -
Cerebrospinal Fluid Pulsations and Aging Effects in Mathematical Models of Hydrocephalus
(University of Waterloo, 2010-08-20)In this Thesis we develop mathematical models to analyze two proposed causative mechanisms for the ventricular expansion observed in hydrocephalus: cerebrospinal fluid pulsations and small transmantle pressure gradients. To ... -
Characterizing the Biomechanical Exposures Associated with Common and High Demand Personal Support Worker Tasks
(University of Waterloo, 2023-08-31)Background: The physical demands that personal support workers (PSWs) are exposed to are increasing as our population ages and our society is increasingly shifting to at-home care, resulting in increases in workload ... -
Combined Multibody Musculoskeletal Dynamic Modeling and Finite Element Modeling of the Human Tibia in Countermovement Jumps
(University of Waterloo, 2021-11-25)Computational models have been used to examine and estimate various motions and loading conditions of the human body that are otherwise difficult to examine experimentally. To study human musculoskeletal dynamics, biomechanical ... -
Comparing knee joint kinematics, kinetics and cumulative load between healthy-weight and obese young adults
(University of Waterloo, 2011-05-20)One of the most poorly understood co-morbidities associated with obesity is the pathway to osteoarthritis of the knee. To implement appropriate preventative strategies, it is important to explore how obesity is a causal ... -
Design, Modeling, and Control of an Active Prosthetic Knee
(University of Waterloo, 2008-10-01)The few microcontroller based active/semi-active prosthetic knee joints available commercially are extremely expensive and do not consider the uncertainties of inputs sensory information. Progressing in the controller of ... -
Detecting subject-specific fatigue related changes in lifting kinematics using a machine learning approach
(University of Waterloo, 2021-01-07)Background. Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) are used to determine a worker’s capacity for return to work (RTW) or for job matching purposes. FCEs are completed using a subjective approach, where a trained evaluator ... -
Developing Applications of Atomic Force Microscopy in Cellular Imaging and Mechanical Property Measurement
(University of Waterloo, 2014-09-10)Health of human body is strongly associated with the mechanical properties of living cells. Here, atomic force microscope (AFM) was applied to obtain surface microscopy of individual and non-individual biological cells, ... -
Development and Application of a Probabilistic/Mechanistic Model to Investigate the Influence of Safety Flooring on Population-Level Hip Fracture Risk
(University of Waterloo, 2017-08-28)Hip fractures are a devastating injury in the older adult population. They are almost exclusively sustained during a fall-related event, with lateral falls resulting in an impact to the proximal femur most highly associated ... -
Development of a Neuromechanical Model for Investigating Sensorimotor Interactions During Locomotion
(University of Waterloo, 2010-10-22)Recently it has been suggested that the use of neuromechanical simulations could be used to further our understanding of the neural control mechanisms involved in the control of animal locomotion. The models used to carry ... -
Development of Elderly Posture Male and Female Finite Element Neck Models and Assessment of Tissue-Level Response Under Impact Loading
(University of Waterloo, 2021-01-13)The growing elderly population and their increased incidence of injury calls for strategies to protect this at-risk population. The effects of ageing include a change in posture, biological material properties, and bone ... -
The Effect of Minimal Footwear and Midsole Stiffness on Lower Limb Kinematics and Kinetics in Novice and Trained Runners
(University of Waterloo, 2013-09-05)Background: The most common injuries in new or novice runners include medial tibial stress syndrome and patellofemoral pain syndrome; both overuse injuries. It is known that novice runners use a rearfoot strike pattern 98% ... -
The Effects of Varying Surface Translation Acceleration and Velocity on Compensatory Forward Stepping Responses
(University of Waterloo, 2018-11-16)Introduction: Examination of balance control has often been accomplished via evocation of stepping responses through external perturbations. These external perturbations can take the form of sudden underfoot surface ... -
Evaluation of a novel thoracic support for police officers during prolonged simulated driving exposures
(University of Waterloo, 2012-10-25)Background: There is a high prevalence of injury and low back pain prevalence associated with professional drivers, including mobile police officers. In particular, the reduction in lumbar lordosis has been hypothesized ... -
Exploring the Utility of Inter-Segmental Coordination to Assess Movement Competency During Lifting Tasks
(University of Waterloo, 2018-02-22)Pre-employment screens are used within the hiring process to determine the hiring or placement of employees in the workplace. It is important that such screens adequately replicate or generalize to the work of interest. ... -
Finite Element Methods to Analyze Helical Stent Expansion
(University of Waterloo, 2014-07-18)Stent angioplasty or stenting is the standard noninvasive therapy method to address narrowing of the arteries and restore blood flow. Although drug-eluting stents have resolved immediate restenosis (i.e., re-narrowing of ...