Biomechanical examination of pedaling
With
video and sensor analysis, clinical-medical knowledge is applied to a
mechanical means such as the bicycle.
The
human being must adapt to the bicycle, which is a sports tool. The cyclist's
posture changes continuously during pedaling.
Biomechanics
applied to cycling studies the relationship between the points of support of
the bicycle (saddle, pedals, handlebars) and the application of the muscular
force that is produced during pedaling, which is a
gesture.
The
examination is conducted after a thorough medical history and objective
clinical evaluation. The appropriateness of the biomechanical evaluation
request during pedaling finds its congruity in the
study of the kinetic and kinematic behavior of the
cyclist during the use of the tool. Cycling is a cyclic sport.
All
involved muscles can be evaluated by surface electromyography. The joints that
share the pedaling gesture are evaluated in their
ranges in all their planes. This evaluation is important to understand how to
set up a positioning on the bike, in order to prevent or treat the pathologies
connected to this recreational, competitive or amateur sport activity. In all age groups.
Following
this instrumental evaluation, a report is drawn up where there may be
prescriptions, recommendations with the possible drafting of
physiotherapy-rehabilitation, reactivation, or physical-adapted activity (AFA)
projects.
The
video analysis allows by means of artificial intelligence software or by means
of algorithms inherent in the applications in use it allows to evaluate the
posture while pedaling in the various planes of
space.
Through
the use of Movit Gait sensors, the closed kinetic
chain is studied millisecond by milisecond.
For
example, you can evaluate pedaling with a very high
and back saddle, which can cause damage to the knees and back, or see the
subject if he is more centered on pedaling
and his back is much more relaxed, or not.
Pressure
in the saddle while pedaling
To
analyze the pressure in the saddle, a pressure sensor is used. This is worn
over the bicycle saddle, and with it you can evaluate in real time how the
contact between the subject's perineal area develops in different conditions of cadence, intensity
and posture while pedaling.The analysis allows the
evaluation of various clinical indicators that lead to epicrisis.
They
can be:
o or support area, measured
in square centimeters, detects how much saddle area
the cyclist actually uses. Assess the pressure on the tissues of the perineal area
o
distribution: the cyclist must
release 75% of the pressure on the rear part of the saddle and a maximum of 25%
on the front part. The support between the two ischial
tuberosities must be equivalent
o
real ischial
distance: the real ischial distance is evaluated.
Based on its value we evaluate whether the saddle is suitable for athletes
o
intermittent contact: assesses
whether the pressure is of the same entity, increasing the jolts in the saddle,
resulting in annoying pudendal paresthesias
due to these continuous microtraumas. It is therefore
seen whether the pressure is kept constant over time
The
support or crurogram can also be evaluated in a
three-dimensional map. This allows the clinician to have a global and immediate
idea of the postural situation.
