The ankle is a complex two-part joint that is composed of the true ankle joint, or talocrural joint, and the subtalar joint. The talocrural joint serves as a connection between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus, allowing for both dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the foot. The subtalar joint is responsible for side to side motion of the foot. It lies below the talocrural joint and consists of the talus on top and the calcaneous below. The ankle joint is one of the most commonly injured joints among athletes.

For this project, your group will choose and analyze a sport-specific movement that leads to ankle injuries. Potential movements may include volleyball landings, a “punch” in gymnastics, cutting in soccer, or a number of other possibilities. The ultimate goal of the project is to analyze the biomechanics of the movement and apply that knowledge to injury mechanism or prevention, rehabilitation, performance, etc. As a multi-planar analysis would be exceedingly complex, it will be advantageous to choose an injury mechanism or movement that can be analyzed within a single plane.

Once your group has researched and selected an athletic movement, you will complete a detailed research proposal, which will facilitate the creation of a testable hypothesis. Groups will complete their experiments in the Stanford Human Performance Lab, and will create projects based on their results. These projects should apply the biomechanics learned in the lab to the larger picture of rehabilitation and injury prevention.

The goal of this class is encourage students to move beyond introductory-level memorization and to research, design, conduct, and present a meaningful project in the field of biomechanics. Additionally, similar to the real-world academic process, students will collaborate with experts and peers both locally and internationally.

The lumbosacral joint (L5-S1) in the lower spine serves as the connection between the relatively flexible upper spine and the more rigid pelvis. In the simplest model, this joint can be viewed as the hinge about which the upper and lower portions of our bodies move. In addition, the lumbosacral joint provides a great deal of support for the entire upper trunk. Because of this joint’s important role in our anatomy, it is a common site of injury in both athletic and normal populations.

For this project, your group will choose a common motion in sports in which the lumbosacral joint is placed in flexion or extension - we will avoid motions which include rotation and/or lateral flexion. Potential movements for analysis include weightlifting, diving, volleyball blocking, gymnastics punch, etc. Your ultimate goal will be to analyze how your chosen motion affects the biomechanics at the lumbosacral joint. Your group may choose to focus on mechanisms of injury, rehabilitation strategies, injury prevention, performance factors, etc.

Once you have selected your activity of focus, you will be asked to complete a project proposal, which will help you to formalize a research question and design a testable experiment. After conducting your experiment in the Human Performance Lab, your group will be responsible for explaining the forces acting on the joint and how those forces affect and are managed by the surrounding anatomy. Your study should be designed in such a way that your results contribute to the understanding of injuries and treatment at the lumbosacral joint.

The goal for this course is to give you an introduction to the academic process. You will be required to analyze existing research, identify a need, develop and test a hypothesis, and ultimately present your results to your peers. In addition, throughout your project you will be supporting and collaborating your colleagues both locally and internationally

Far surpassing the simplicity of a “hinge-joint,” the human knee represents a complex interplay of 3-D structures that function together to enable a variety of joint positions and athletic movements. Accordingly, injury and movement patterns can also be exceedingly complex, requiring biomechanical analysis to understand mechanisms and potential methods of rehabilitation.

The goal of this storyboard is to facilitate your investigation of one of these athletic movements and/or injury mechanisms of the knee joint. Whether you chose to delve into muscle activation patterns, joint kinematics, ligament injuries, or any other topic of interest, the objective is to move beyond introductory-level memorization and answer a meaningful question requiring multi-stage analysis. You can begin by electing a specific injury or movement pattern that interests you, for example, medial collateral ligament tears or the landing position after a volleyball spike. For modeling purposes, it will be advantageous to chose an injury mechanism or movement that can be analyzed within a single plane of movement (sagittal, coronal, transverse).

After conducting research and narrowing your focus, a detailed research proposal should be submitted, specifying the topic and methodologies of the proposed study. This should include free-body diagrams and any additional planning tools that will contribute to your analysis. After completing your experiment, you will be asked to continually contextualize class material with respect to the knee joint and your research focus. The class will culminate with a presentation of your project to fellow students.

This storyboard is designed to facilitate the use of available resources to develop a unique insight into the anatomy, movements, and/or injuries of the knee. It is intended that you contribute to the existing knowledge by creating a very specific research question and then answer it in a scientifically rigorous way. Furthermore, you should incorporate the perspectives of physics, biology, and engineering in analysis, as each will increase the accuracy, significance, and applications of your work.

Running economy (RE) is formally defined in literature as a runner’s steady-state oxygen consumption at submaximal running speed, taking body weight into account [(VO2/kg) at submaximal pace]. Though the definition may seem a bit wordy, you will come to fully understand its meaning and appreciate its relationship to VO2, fatigue, and anaerobic threshold as you proceed with your project.

For now, you can think of running economy as a measurement of how efficiently a runner can utilize energy to maintain a certain pace. Compared to individuals with poor RE, runners with good RE are able to run a given speed while using less energy. More than any other measurement, RE is the single best predictor of long distance performance.

While both physiology and biomechanics affect RE, little is known on how to specifically alter a runner’s training regimen to increase an individual’s running economy. With the tools available to you, design and run an experiment that investigates the relationship between biomechanical parameters and physiological factors of running economy. Based on your findings, recommend possible methods to improve running economy, decrease fatigue, or reduce injury.

Possible projects include analyzing the effects of altered biomechanics on running economy, such as how different running shoes, different running styles, or simulated injury affect RE. Other possible projects include extrapolating how different types of conditioning might alter running economy by comparing athletes from different sports. Relating biomechanics of age and sex to running economy is also an option.

This story board is fairly open-ended to allow you the opportunity to be creative in your experiment design. Brainstorm possible research questions. Start by delving into the current literature on running economy to fully understand the topic and see what has already been done. Next, make sure you understand what resources will be available to you and what specific parameters can be measured at your research site. By taking all this into account, you should be able to narrow down your research question so that it is unique, contributes to the current knowledge, and can be completed in the given timeframe.

Once you fully define your project, you will submit a project proposal, thoroughly outlining your topic and methodologies of your proposed study. After conducting your research trials, you will have ample time to analyze your data. The course will culminate with a presentation of your findings to your fellow classmates.