Functional analysis of the articulating figure skate
Date
2005
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The frequency of injuries in singles and pairs figure skaters coincides with the number and difficulty of jumps performed on a daily basis. Medical experts working with figure skaters agree that the design of the skate boot also plays a substantial role in the injury process. Specifically, the primary point of concern has been the constrained ankle mobility characteristic of the modern boot. Literature has shown that the ankle plays a key role in attenuating the shock from the landing impacts. If ankle mobility is restricted as it is in the figure skate, loads in the knee, hip, and spine will significantly increase. The advent of the articulated figure skate permits ankle flexion and extension in the sagittal plane, theoretically allowing the ankle to attenuate some of the force at landing. The purpose of this study was to determine differences between the traditional and articulated figure skates with respect to ground reaction forces, knee, and hip moments. It was hypothesized that the articulated figure skate would result in higher ground reaction forces and lower hip and knee moments. ☐ This study involved five competitive female figure skaters. Subjects completed 3 successful double toe loops in each of the two skates. Video data collected at 240 frames/sec was used to estimate lower extremity kinematics and vertical ground reaction forces. Inverse dynamics were used to estimate moments at the knee and hip. Two different landing techniques were observed: one with the landing leg approximating a straight position and the other with the landing leg approximating a “seated” position. The subjects’ landing technique appeared to dictate whether or not they could take advantage of the articulated figure skate. Skaters landing with a straighter leg produced lower ground reaction forces, knee, and hip moments in the AFS. Skaters landing in the seated position had increased ground reaction forces, knee, and hip moments in the AFS.