We are all familiar with sunburns and sunscreen. From our first day playing outside, we are taught to put on sunscreen to protect our skin. But why? Why do we need to protect our skin from the sun? And how does sunscreen, if at all, protect us?
Continue reading “Sunscreen’s Secrets: How Is It Really Helping?”Tag: humans
Vibration and Perception: Your Bike’s Buzz Might Trick Your Brain to Push Harder
Today I rode my bike through the widespread green prairie of South Quad here at Notre Dame. The expanse of thin and evenly tall blades of grass is sliced by strips of smooth concrete, which streak across its surface. Except, of course, that concrete is not really smooth. If you’ve ever (1) reached and dragged your hand across concrete paths or (2) crashed and dragged your body across the concrete, then you intrinsically know that even seemingly smooth paths have texture.
And when you ride over any textured terrain, your tire experiences consecutive minute vertical displacements–aka vibrations–and then your frame experiences these vibrations, and then your handlebars experience these vibrations, and then YOU experience these vibrations in your hands and feet. Advanced riders agree on two things about vibrations: they help you “feel” the texture of the trail, which improves control and confidence, and severe vibrations punish your forearms with lactic acid buildup, which increases fatigue. But how do vibrations affect the average rider on sidewalks and paths? How do they affect your muscular fatigue and performance in your extremities (arms/legs)? Because every time you ride a bike, you’re experiencing vibrations.
Continue reading “Vibration and Perception: Your Bike’s Buzz Might Trick Your Brain to Push Harder”Arch Rivals: How the Biomechanics of Arched and Flat Feet Impact Athletics
Though all designed for the same essential function, human feet vary significantly in their structure between individuals. The most significant difference in foot structure is the arch, referring to the curve between the ball of your foot and the pad on your heel. The foot arch can range from a very high visible arch all the way to what is considered flat feet, with no visible arch and almost the entire sole of the foot making contact with the ground. This difference in structure changes the biomechanics of the foot, in turn changing the way we walk, run, jump, and complete any athletic feat. So how exactly do our arches play into athletic performance?
Continue reading “Arch Rivals: How the Biomechanics of Arched and Flat Feet Impact Athletics”Does Boxing Headgear Prevent Concussions?
In boxing, behind every punch connecting and glove pushing into a face, there is a complex collection of engineering principles at play that can vibrate a human skull and cause serious neurological damage. The impact of a punch can jolt the brain, causing it to move across the cerebrospinal fluid that it sits in and putting the person at risk. The rotation and rebound of the brain inside the skull from the rapid force applied is what produces concussions in the sport. Theoretically, headgear will reduce the likelihood of a concussion by softening the blows.
Continue reading “Does Boxing Headgear Prevent Concussions?”Where the Treatable can become Life-Threatening: The Link Between Patellar Dislocations, Biomechanics, and Wilderness Emergency Medicine
The dislocation of the patella is the dislocation of the kneecap sideways— either laterally, to the outward facing side of the leg, or medially, to the inward facing side of the leg. While the condition is rare, accounting for around 3% of knee injuries, acute patellar dislocations are painful health emergencies with long-lasting consequences if not properly treated. This is especially true in a wilderness medicine context: a patellar dislocation may create dangerous and even deadly scenarios in the backcountry, where long, complicated evacuation processes will prolong patient discomfort and the precarious wilderness environment may lead to further danger. Thus certified wilderness first responders are permitted to perform straightforward dislocation reductions in a backcountry setting to alleviate pain and assist evacuation.
Continue reading “Where the Treatable can become Life-Threatening: The Link Between Patellar Dislocations, Biomechanics, and Wilderness Emergency Medicine”Turning Pretty: The Biomechanics of Perfecting Piqués In Dance
While technical dance, such as ballet, is the epitome of visually effortless movements, have you wondered how dancers are able to turn on a small bodily area without falling over? It turns out there is much more to a dancer’s execution of a turn than the elegant movement the audience sees.
Continue reading “Turning Pretty: The Biomechanics of Perfecting Piqués In Dance”Ride at Your Own Risk: Roller Coasters and the Human Body
Humans are thrill-seekers and what better thrill than a death-defying roller coaster ride? The adrenaline rush that comes from the sharp twists and turns cause us to seek bigger and faster rides. However, the forces exerted on us during a ride impact the human body beyond just providing a fun time. Depending on the speeds and accelerations of the ride, body parts such as the neck, brain, and spine are affected or may even be injured. Therefore, it is important to know potential risks before chasing the next ride.
Less Art, More Science: Towards Building Better Prostheses
Imagine waking up one morning and realizing your legs don’t fit you. Not metaphorically, but literally. When your favorite jeans no longer fit, you pick another pair. But for people with lower-limb amputations, this “fit” problem could mean that their day ahead is now ruined. Their prosthetic socket—the rigid shell that connects the limb to its prosthesis—must fit precisely around a residual limb that constantly changes in shape and size.
Continue reading “Less Art, More Science: Towards Building Better Prostheses”The Invisible Wound: Unlocking the Biomechanics of Wartime Traumatic Brain Injury
For most of history, battlefield medicine was about treating only visible injuries. Cuts, fractures, and shrapnel wounds defined military trauma and critically impacted generations of soldiers. But the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, characterized by increased use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) introduced a new and invisible wound known as blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). While more than 75% of these cases are classified as mild TBI, they typically lack visible or physical damage on patients through conventional scans and can lead to debilitating long-term symptoms such as headaches, memory loss, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Continue reading “The Invisible Wound: Unlocking the Biomechanics of Wartime Traumatic Brain Injury”Pulling G’s: The Forces that cause Fighter Pilots to go Unconscious Mid-Flight
Development of faster, more agile military aircraft is dependent on not only materials, fuel, and cost, it relies on pilots. Today, military aircraft force pilots to push their limits, constantly subjecting them to high G-forces, which can lead to hypoxia. Hypoxia occurs when the body does not get enough oxygen, causing symptoms that include unconsciousness, headaches, and tunnel vision.
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