Articles published in the Journal of Biomechanics still reflect bias, with males positioned as the default in human research. This meta-analysis on the 2024 articles reveals a large disparity in female representation. One in four studies showed an imbalance (<30 % female representation) favouring male participants, while only 8 % favoured females. Male-only studies outnumbered female-only studies by over fivefold. Of particular concern is that male-only studies often lack justification for their single-gender focus, whereas female-only studies typically provide clear reasoning. This inconsistency not only lacks accountability but also reinforces the notion that male data is the standard in biomechanics research. I named this issue biasmechanics to encourage efforts to address them. While there are valid scientific reasons for focusing on specific gender/sex groups, this should not be the default. Authors must consider sex- and gender-based differences, and reviewers and editors should adopt stricter standards for accepting articles with unjustified imbalances. The Journal of Biomechanics could establish standardized guidelines promoting equitable representation in research. Exclusions of any sex or gender must include clear scientific justification in the introduction and methodology sections. The discussion and limitations sections should assess the implications of such exclusions, including their effects on validity, generalizability, and bias. If appropriate, titles and abstracts should clearly indicate single-sex or gender-specific studies to ensure transparency about the research's scope and applicability. By collectively affirming as a scientific community that, except for legitimate scientific justification, we oppose the exclusion of female participants, we can shift the default approach in our research studies.

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Maintaining dynamic balance during transitional movements like sit-to-walk (STW) can be challenging for older adults. Age-related neuromuscular decline can alter movement in STW, such as rising with greater trunk flexion, narrowing the feet, or using arms to push off. Initial foot and arm position can affect subsequent movement biomechanics, with different ground reaction forces (GRFs) that stabilize and advance the body center of mass (COM). The purpose of this study was to quantify whole-body biomechanics and trunk control of STW transitions. Fifteen younger adults (18–35 years) and fifteen older adults (50–79 years) performed STW from four initial foot positions and two arm positions. Three-dimensional (3D) GRFs, 3D body COM displacement, and integrated electromyography values from the lumbar paraspinals and gluteus medius were evaluated. Younger adults generated greater mediolateral GRF ranges while rising, whereas older adults generated greater mediolateral GRF ranges when stepping forward suggesting different strategies to laterally control the body COM. Initial foot position affected the STW movement, with narrow foot positions having smaller body COM displacement than wide foot positions, associated with smaller medial GRFs to move the body COM toward the stance limb. Rising with arm support required less lumbar paraspinal excitation, which was further reduced when with a posteriorly offset foot. Gluteus medius activity was greater for older adults compared to younger adults in STW. Completing STW with arm support can reduce the muscle activity required to stabilize the torso when rising, which likely has implications for balance control and low back loading.

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Facilitating forward movement while maintaining dynamic stability during transitions like sit-to-walk (STW) requires coordination from many muscles. Age-related muscle, sensory, and neural decline can introduce compensatory biomechanics when completing STW, such as adjusting initial foot position or rising with arm support. Many previous STW studies restrict arm movement and prescribe symmetric foot positions, therefore the purpose of this study was to quantify lower limb muscle excitations and joint moments in STW transitions from four initial foot positions [symmetric, posterior offset, wide, narrow] and two arm placements [hands on knees, arms folded] in 15 younger and 15 older adults. Peak knee and ankle joint extension moments, as well as peak electromyography of five bilateral lower-limb muscles were analyzed. In all conditions, older adults had larger knee extension moments, whereas younger adults had larger ankle plantarflexion moments. Older adults generated larger peak excitation from the knee extensor muscles during rising compared to younger adults, consistent with the higher knee extension moments. Older adults had greater peak dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscle excitation while rising compared to younger adults. Posterior offset and wide foot positions required the largest peak ankle plantarflexion and knee extension moments and plantarflexor muscle excitation. Arm-supported rising decreased peak knee extensor muscle excitation. In addition, there were interaction effects between age and initial foot position/arm placement for multiple quantities, indicating that the effects of foot and arm placement vary with age. These results inform assessments of movement performance and guidelines for rising given individual lower limb capability.

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The ollie is the base aerial human–board maneuver, foundational to most modern skateboarding tricks. We formulate and solve an optimal control problem of a two-dimensional simplified human model and a rigid body skateboard with the objective of maximizing the height of the ollie. Our solution simultaneously discovers realistic human-applied force trajectories and optimal board geometry. We accomplish this with a direct collocation formulation using a null seed initial guess by carefully modeling the discontinuous aspects of board–ground impact and foot–board friction. This leads to efficient and robust solutions that are 10 times more computationally efficient than prior work on similar problems. The solutions show that ollie height can increase 3% by decreasing the wheelbase and that a smaller board with a back-foot-dominated force strategy can give 12% higher ollies. Our model can be used to inform jump strategy and the effects of changes to the essential board geometry.

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Standing up from a chair is a key daily life activity that is sensitive to functional limitations as we age and associated with falls, frailty, and institutional living. Predictive neuromusculoskeletal models can potentially shed light on the interconnectivity and interdependency of age-related changes in neuromuscular capacity, reinforcement schemes, sensory integration, and adaptation strategies during stand-up. Most stand-up movements transfer directly into walking (sit-to-walk). The aim of this study was to develop and validate a neuromusculoskeletal model with reflex-based muscle control that enables simulation of the sit-to-walk movement under various conditions (seat height, foot placement). We developed a planar sit-to-walk musculoskeletal model (11 degrees-of-freedom, 20 muscles) and neuromuscular controller, consisting of a two-phase stand-up controller and a reflex-based gait controller. The stand-up controller contains generic neural pathways of delayed proprioceptive feedback from muscle length, force, velocity, and upper-body orientation (vestibular feedback) and includes both monosynaptic an antagonistic feedback pathways. The control parameters where optimized using a shooting-based optimization method, based on a high-level optimization criterium. Simulations were compared to recorded kinematics, ground reaction forces, and muscle activation. The simulated kinematics resemble the measured kinematics and muscle activations. The adaptation strategies that resulted from alterations in seat height, are comparable to those observed in adults. The simulation framework and model are publicly available and allow to study age-related compensation strategies, including reduced muscular capacity, reduced neural capacity, external perturbations, and altered movement objectives@en

The ‘Timed Up and Go’ test (TUG) is a widely used clinical tool for assessing gait and balance, relying primarily on timing as a measure. However, there are more observable biomechanical compensation strategies within TUG that are indicative of underlying neuromuscular issues and movement priorities. In individuals with unilateral knee osteoarthritis, an increased trunk flexion during TUG is a common phenomenon, often attributed to muscle weakness and/or pain avoidance. Unfortunately, it is difficult to differentiate between these underlying causes using experimental studies alone. This study aimed to distinguish between muscle weakness and pain avoidance as contributing factors, using predictive neuromuscular simulations of the sit-to-walk movement. Muscle weakness was simulated by reducing the maximum isometric force of the vasti muscles (ranging from 20% to 60%), while pain avoidance was integrated as a movement objective, ensuring that peak knee load did not exceed predefined thresholds (2–4 times body weight). The simulations demonstrate that a decrease in muscular capacity led to greater trunk flexion, while pain avoidance led to slower movement speeds and altered muscle recruitments, but not to greater trunk flexion. Our predictive simulations thus indicate that increased trunk flexion is more likely the result of lack of muscular reserve rather than pain avoidance. These findings align with reported differences in kinematics and muscle activations between moderate and severe knee osteoarthritis patients, emphasizing the impact of severe muscle weakness in those with advanced knee osteoarthritis. The simulations offer valuable insights into the mechanisms behind altered movement strategies, potentially guiding more targeted treatment.@en

Fall risk increases with age, and one-third of adults over 65 years old experience a fall annually. Due to the aging population, the number of falls and related medical costs will progressively increase. Correct prediction of who will fall in the future is necessary to timely intervene in order to prevent falls. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to determine the predictive value of fall risk assessments in community-dwelling older adults using prospective studies. A total of 37 studies were included that evaluated clinical assessments (questionnaires, physical assessments, or a combination), sensor-based clinical assessments, or sensor- based daily life assessments using prospective study designs. The posttest probability of falling or not falling was calculated. In general, fallers were better classified than non-fallers. Questionnaires had a lower predictive capability compared to the other assessment types. Contrary to conclusions drawn in reviews that include retrospective studies, the predictive value of physical tests evaluated in prospective studies varies largely, with only smaller-sampled studies showing good predictive capabilities. Sensor-based fall risk assessments are promising and improve with task complexity, although they have only been evaluated in relatively small samples. In conclusion, fall risk prediction using sensor data seems to outperform conventional tests, but the method’s validity needs to be confirmed by large prospective studies.@en

Capacity is the physiological ability of the neuromusculoskeletal systems; this declines with age. This decline in capacity may result in the inability to stand up (sit-to-stand, sit-to-walk), which is an important movement for independent living. Compensation, as a result of functional redundancy, is key in understanding how much age-related decline can be tolerated before movement limitations arise. Yet, this topic has been underexposed in the biomechanics literature. The purpose of this systematic review was to approach the literature on sit-to-stand and sit-to-walk studies from the perspective of compensation and create an overview of our current understanding of compensation in standing up, identifying the limitations and providing future recommendations. A literature search was performed, using the keywords and their synonyms: strateg*(approach, technique, way) AND, sit-to-walk OR sit-to-stand OR rise (raise, arise, stand, stand-up) AND chair (seat). Inclusion criteria: full articles on biomechanics or motor control on sit-to-stand or sit-to-walk in healthy adults (<60y), healthy or frail elderly adults (>60y), and adults with osteoarthritis. The results show that the experimental set-ups and musculoskeletal models in STS and STW studies generally exclude compensation by using restricted protocols and simplifications. Moreover, factors are mostly analysed in isolation, excluding confounding causes within capacity and/or movement objectives which limits the generalization of the results. Future studies in the standing up task should consider to (1) determine the effect of varying arm push-off strategies, (2) focus on sit-to-walk, (3) determine the biomechanical implications of asymmetry, and (4) incorporate assessments of physical capacity as well as changes in psychological priorities.

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The prevention, mitigation and treatment of movement impairments, ideally, requires early diagnosis or identification. As the human movement system has physiological and functional redundancy, movement limitations do not promptly arise at the onset of physical decline. A such, prediction of movement limitations is complex: it is unclear how much decline can be tolerated before movement limitations start. Currently, the term ‘homeostatic reserve’ or ‘physiological reserve’ is used to refer to the redundancy of the human biological system, but these terms do not describe the redundancy in the muscle architecture of the human body. The result of functional redundancy is compensation. Although compensation is an early predictor of movement limitations, clear definitions are lacking and the topic is underexposed in literature. The aim of this article is to provide a definition of compensation and emphasize its importance. Compensation is defined as an alteration in the movement trajectory and/or altering muscle recruitment to complete a movement task. Compensation for capacity is the result of a lack in neuromusculoskeletal reserve, where reserve is defined as the difference between the capacity (physiological abilities of the neuromusculoskeletal system) and the task demand. Compensation for movement objectives is a result of a shift in weighting of movement objectives, reflecting changing priorities. Studying compensation in biomechanics requires altered protocols in experimental set-ups, musculoskeletal models that are not reliant on prescribed movement, and inclusion of alternative movement objectives in optimal control theory.

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In gait studies body pose reconstruction (BPR) techniques have been widely explored, but no previous protocols have been developed for speed skating, while the peculiarities of the skating posture and technique do not automatically allow for the transfer of the results of those explorations to kinematic skating data. The aim of this paper is to determine the best procedure for body pose reconstruction and inverse dynamics of speed skating, and to what extend this choice influences the estimation of joint power. The results show that an eight body segment model together with a global optimization method with revolute joint in the knee and in the lumbosacral joint, while keeping the other joints spherical, would be the most realistic model to use for the inverse kinematics in speed skating. To determine joint power, this method should be combined with a least-square error method for the inverse dynamics. Reporting on the BPR technique and the inverse dynamic method is crucial to enable comparison between studies. Our data showed an underestimation of up to 74% in mean joint power when no optimization procedure was applied for BPR and an underestimation of up to 31% in mean joint power when a bottom-up inverse dynamics method was chosen instead of a least square error approach. Although these results are aimed at speed skating, reporting on the BPR procedure and the inverse dynamics method, together with setting a golden standard should be common practice in all human movement research to allow comparison between studies.@en

Speed skating is a rather special form of locomotion. While in most types of human locomotion, humans generate forces by pushing against the environment in the opposite direction of motion, in speed skating the skater pushes sideward to propel himself forward; Insight in the details of the technique can help a speed skater improve his performance. Therefore we would like to develop an optimal measurement system to collect real-time accurate kinetic data of a speed skater. These data will be used to give real-time feedback to the skater and his coach. Additionally the data will be used for the development of a 3D biomechanical model that can simulate the motion of a speed skater and eventually can be used for skating technique optimization.@en

Objective: Sport research often requires human motion capture of an athlete. It can, however, be labour-intensive and difficult to select the right system, while manufacturers report on specifications which are determined in set-ups that largely differ from sport research in terms of volume, environment and motion. The aim of this review is to assist researchers in the selection of a suitable motion capture system for their experimental set-up for sport applications. An open online platform is initiated, to support (sport)researchers in the selection of a system and to enable them to contribute and update the overview. Design: systematic review; Method: Electronic searches in Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were performed, and the reference lists of the screened articles were scrutinised to determine human motion capture systems used in academically published studies on sport analysis. Results: An overview of 17 human motion capture systems is provided, reporting the general specifications given by the manufacturer (weight and size of the sensors, maximum capture volume, environmental feasibilities), and calibration specifications as determined in peer-reviewed studies. The accuracy of each system is plotted against the measurement range. Conclusion: The overview and chart can assist researchers in the selection of a suitable measurement system. To increase the robustness of the database and to keep up with technological developments, we encourage researchers to perform an accuracy test prior to their experiment and to add to the chart and the system overview (online, open access).

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The quantification of mechanical power can provide valuable insight into athlete performance because it is the mechanical principle of the rate at which the athlete does work or transfers energy to complete a movement task. Estimates of power are usually limited by the capabilities of measurement systems, resulting in the use of simplified power models. This review provides a systematic overview of the studies on mechanical power in sports, discussing the application and estimation of mechanical power, the consequences of simplifications, and the terminology. The mechanical power balance consists of five parts, where joint power is equal to the sum of kinetic power, gravitational power, environmental power, and frictional power. Structuring literature based on these power components shows that simplifications in models are done on four levels, single vs multibody models, instantaneous power (IN) versus change in energy (EN), the dimensions of a model (1D, 2D, 3D), and neglecting parts of the mechanical power balance. Quantifying the consequences of simplification of power models has only been done for running, and shows differences ranging from 10% up to 250% compared to joint power models. Furthermore, inconsistency and imprecision were found in the determination of joint power, resulting from inverse dynamics methods, incorporation of translational joint powers, partitioning in negative and positive work, and power flow between segments. Most inconsistency in terminology was found in the definition and application of ‘external’ and ‘internal’ work and power. Sport research would benefit from structuring the research on mechanical power in sports and quantifying the result of simplifications in mechanical power estimations.@en

This study performed an analysis of the push-off forces of elite-short-track speed skaters using a new designed instrumented short-track speed skate with the aim to improve short-track skating performance. Four different skating strokes were distinguished for short-track speed skaters at speed. The strokes differed in stroke time, force level in both normal and lateral directions, and the centre of pressure (COP) on the blade. Within the homogeneous group of male elite speed skaters (N = 6), diversity of execution of the force patterns in the four phases of skating was evident, while skating at the same velocities. The male participants (N = 6) with a better personal record (PR) kept the COP more to the rear of their blades while hanging into the curve (r = 0.82, p < 0.05), leaving the curve (r = 0.86, p < 0.05), and entering the straight (r = 0.76, p < 0.10). Furthermore, the male skaters with a better PR showed a trend of a lower lateral peak force while entering the curve (r = 0.74, p < 0.10). Females showed a trend towards applying higher body weight normalised lateral forces than the males, while skating at imposed lower velocities.

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Advice about the optimal coordination pattern for an individual speed skater, could be addressed by simulation and optimization of a biomechanical speed skating model. But before getting to this optimization approach one needs a model that can reasonably match observed behaviour. Therefore, the objective of this study is to present a verified three dimensional inverse skater model with minimal complexity, which models the speed skating motion on the straights. The model simulates the upper body transverse translation of the skater together with the forces exerted by the skates on the ice. The input of the model is the changing distance between the upper body and the skate, referred to as the leg extension (Euclidean distance in 3. D space). Verification shows that the model mimics the observed forces and motions well. The model is most accurate for the position and velocity estimation (respectively 1.2% and 2.9% maximum residuals) and least accurate for the force estimations (underestimation of 4.5-10%). The model can be used to further investigate variables in the skating motion. For this, the input of the model, the leg extension, can be optimized to obtain a maximal forward velocity of the upper body.

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Pushoff in speed skating requires an extensive motion strategy. During speed skating the skater continuously changes the lean and steering angle of the skate and therewith the direction of push-off, The forces in an inertial coordinate system can give insight into what amount of the push-off force is directed into the forward motion. In this paper we present the preliminary results of a study on the global forces in speed skating. From a mechanical viewpoint, increasing the lean angle of the skate seems beneficial at the end of the stroke, but detrimental at the start of the stroke. Furthermore the necessity of the
lateral force on the skate in the overall force production is a variable of interest for further investigation, since dynamically it has a disadvantageous effect on the forward motion.@en

To assist speed skaters in improving their skating performance, we would like to provide them with real time feedback on the orientation of the skate within a single stroke. While of course the forces generated by the skater on the ice determine the acceleration of the skater, the orientation of the skate determines in which direction this force, and thus acceleration, is headed. In this study we focus on the validation of the lean angle measurements of the skate, which distributes the push-off forces over the global vertical and transverse component. To measure this angle, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) would be a logical choice, but two aspects render measuring with commercially available IMUs and their filters on an ice rink rather difficult, first the ferromagnetic materials in the vicinity of the IMU and secondly the large linear accelerations. In this paper we therefore propose filters that bypass these problems. In total three complementary filters with adaptive gain were validated with a motion capture system. The filter based on the assumption that the lean angle can be reset to zero (upright) when there is no change in steer angle of the skate, showed the most accurate results (mean RMSE error of 5.3⁰ and 3.6⁰, for the left and right skate respectively). Integrated into the filter is an IMU based stroke detection, which as a stand-alone system could provide feedback on stroke frequency, stroke length, contact time or double stance phase time. It is concluded that an IMU used with this filter can provide individual elite speed skaters reliable feedback on their skate lean angle.

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In the current project, we aim to provide speed skaters with real-time feedback on how to improve their skating performance within an individual stroke. The elite skaters and their coaches wish for a system that determines the mechanical power per stroke. The push-off force of the skater is a crucial variable in this power determination. In this study, we present the construction and calibration of a pair of wireless instrumented klapskates that can continuously and synchronously measure this push-off force in both the lateral direction and normal direction of the skate and the centre of pressure of these forces. The skate consists of a newly designed rigid bridge (0.6 kg), embedding two three-dimensional force sensors (Kistler 9602, Kistler Group, Winterthur, Switzerland), which fits between most individual skate shoes and Maple skate blades. The instrumented klapskates were calibrated on a tensile testing machine, where they proved to be unaffected to temperature conditions and accurate up to an RMS of 42 N (SEM = 1 N) in normal and up to an RMS of 27 N (SEM = 1 N) in lateral direction. Furthermore, the centre of pressure of these forces on the blade was determined up to a mean error of 10.1 mm (SD = 6.9 mm). On-ice measurements showed the possibility of recording with both skates simultaneously and synchronously, straights as well as curves. The option to send data wirelessly and real-time to other devices makes it possible to eventually provide skaters and coaches with visual real-time feedback during practice.

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In speed skating forces are generated by pushing in a sideward direction against an environment, which moves relative to the skater. De Koning et al. (1987) showed that there is a distinct difference in the coordination pattern between (elite) speed skaters. Models can help to give insight in this peculiar technique and ideally find an optimal motion pattern for each individual speed skater. Currently there are three models describing and optimizing the behaviour and performance of skaters, of which only two are relevant in terms of coordination patterns (Allinger & Bogert, 1997; Otten, 2003). However, none of them have been shown to accurately predict the observed coordination pattern via verification with empirical kinetic and kinematic data. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to present a verified three dimensional inverse skater model with minimal complexity, based on the idea of (Cabrera, Ruina, & Kleshnev, 2006), modelling the speed skating motion on the straights. The model is driven by the changing distance between the torso and the skate (further referred to as the leg extension), which is also the true input of the skater to generate a global motion. This input, which is indirectly also a measure of the knee extension of the skater, is a variable familiar to the speed skaters and coaches. In this extended abstract we verify this novel model for two strokes (left and right) of one skater through correlation with observed kinematics and forces.@en