Graduation Year

2024

Date of Submission

12-2024

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Biology

Reader 1

Jenna Monroy

Reader 2

Lars Schmitz

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Abstract

Humans possess dominant and nondominant limbs and are therefore naturally asymmetrical. Through repetition of single limb dominated movements, these asymmetries can grow. This study measured asymmetries between legs using strength and biomechanical measures. Strength was measured with isometric knee flexion and knee extension tests. Biomechanical variables were measured during single legged hopping tasks at different hop frequencies. The intentions of the study were to (1) develop a better understanding of the relationship of strength and biomechanical asymmetries, and (2) observe how the extent of biomechanical asymmetries are affected by hopping frequency. A correlation was found between the extent of knee extension strength asymmetry and knee range of motion asymmetry at a hopping frequency of 2.2 Hz, as well as between the extent of knee flexion strength asymmetry and asymmetry in percentage of total jump time spent on the ground (GCT%) at 3 Hz. No other significant correlations were found between strength and biomechanical asymmetries. A significant asymmetry in ground contact time (GCTs) at a hopping frequency of 3 Hz was found with the dominant limb having shorter GCTs. Significant asymmetries of GCT% were found at all hopping frequencies with the dominant limb having shorter GCT%. Significant asymmetries of aerial time were found at hopping frequencies of 1.5 Hz and 3 Hz with the dominant leg achieving greater aerial time. These findings may suggest that the rate of force production is slower for the nondominant leg during single legged hopping.

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