Biomechanical data on most bracing and protective equipment systems is lacking. To better understand the clinical success of counterforce bracing, a biome chanical analysis of braced and unbraced tennis players (serve and backhand strokes) was undertaken. Three- dimensional cinematography and electromyographic techniques were used. Three commonly used counter force braces (lateral elbow, medial elbow, and radial ulnar wrist) were compared with the unbraced condi tion. The overall results basically reveal positive bio mechanical alterations in forearm muscle activity and angular joint acceleration dependent upon the brace and joint area analyzed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abdel-Aziz Y. , Karara H. Direct linear transformation from comparator coordinates into object space coordinates in close range photogrammetry . Proceedings of the ASP Symposium on Close-Range Photogrammetry , 1971,1-19
2.
Basmapan JV Electromyographic analysis, in J Cooper (ed) Selected Topics on Biomechanics The Athletic Institute, 1971, pp 109-117
Boeke C., Burns L., Krull J., et al The effect of counterforce armband on extensor/grip strength and pain in subjects suffering from lateral epicondylitis Proceedings of the American Physical Therapy Association, Kansas City, Missouri, June 1983
5.
Froimson AI: Treatment of tennis elbow with forearm support band J Bone Joint Surg43B: 100, 1961
6.
Groppel J. A Kinematic Comparison of One-Handed and Two-Handed Backhand Drives Among Highly-Skilled Female Competitors Doctoral dissertation, Flonda State University, Tallahassee, 1978
7.
Groppel J. Tennis for Advanced Players Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1984
8.
llfeld FW, Field SM Treatment of tennis elbow: Use of special brace. JAMA195. 67-70, 1966
9.
Nirschl RP Tennis elbow. Orthop Clin North Am4: 787-800, 1973
10.
Shapiro R. Three-dimensional Kinetic Analysis of the Baseball Swing. Doctoral dissertation, Unwersity of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana , 1978
11.
Winter D., Rau G., Kadefors R., et al: Units, terms and standards in the reporting of EMG research Report by the Ad Hoc Committee of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kmesiology, August, 1980
12.
Winter D. Biomechanics of Human Movement. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1979
