http://hdl.handle.net/10197/1129 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:09:07 GMT 2013-05-22T11:09:07Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3874 Automatic Detection of Tackles in Elite Level Rugby Union Kelly, Daniel; Coughlan, Garrett; Green, Brian; Caulfield, Brian Elite rugby union teams currently employ technology in order to monitor and evaluate the physical demands of training and games on their players. Tackling has been shown to be the most common cause of injury in rugby union (Fuller et al. (2007a), Garraway et al. (1999)). However, current player monitoring technology does not effectively evaluate player tackling measurements. Sensing devices, currently being used by elite rugby union teams, contain a GPS receiver and a 3-axis accelerometer. GPS has been utilized to measure player speed and distance. Accelerometers, on the other hand, have an under-utilized potential to analyse body impact and collisions. Presented at the IRFU Sports Medicine Conference: Injury Prevention in Rugby Union, May 17th-19th, 2012 in the AVIVA Stadium, Dublin Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3874 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3758 Automatic detection of collisions in elite level rugby union using a wearable sensing device Kelly, Daniel; Coughlan, Garrett; Green, Brian; Caulfield, Brian Elite rugby union teams currently employ the latest technology to monitor and evaluate the physical demands of training and games on their players. Tackling has been shown to be the most common cause of injury in rugby union, yet current player monitoring technology does not effectively evaluate player tackling measurements. Currently, to evaluate measurements specific to player tackles, a time-consuming manual analysis of player sensor data and video footage is required. The purpose of this work is to investigate tackle modeling techniques which can be utilised to automatically detect player tackles and collisions using sensing technology already being used by elite international and club level rugby union teams. This paper discusses issues relevant to automatic tackle analysis, describes a technique to detect tackles using sensing data and validates the technique by comparing automatically detected collisions to manually labeled collisions using data from elite club and international level players. The results of the validation show that the system is able to consistently identify collisions with very few false posi- tives and false negatives, achieving a recall and precision rating of 0.933 and 0.958, respectively. The aim is that the automatically detected tackles can provide coaching, medical and strength and conditioning staff with objective tackle-specific measurements, in real time, which can be used in injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3758 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2425 The effects of a neuromuscular electrical stimulation training intervention on physiological measures in a spinal cord injured male : a case study McCormack, Kirsti; Carty, Amanda; Coghlan, Garrett; Crowe, Louis; Caulfield, Brian Background: People with spinal cord injury (SCI) are exposed to the development of comorbidities secondary to a decreased ability to exercise and pathological complications. Aerobic exercise has been advocated as a means of preventing the development of these illnesses. Previous research has indicated that functional electrical stimulation (FES) provides an appropriate aerobic stimulus in an SCI population to provide cardiovascular fitness gains. However, FES devices are time consuming for both clients and medical staff in a rehabilitation and home setting with devices often expensive. Our research group have developed a novel neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) system which may provide an alternative to FES and elicit a similar response. Methods: A 40 year old male with a T6 incomplete SCI, undertook 6 weeks of NMES training for one hour, five days per week. Pre and post intervention measures include a treadmill VO2 peak test, a DXA scan and subjective feedback regarding the NMES device and training stimulus. Results: Improvements in VO2 peak, heart rate and exercise tolerance were observed with minor decreases in total body fat mass. The participant reported that the NMES was an acceptable form of cardiovascular training. Conclusion: Our pilot case study has indicated that our NMES system is capable of eliciting an aerobic training effect in people with SCI, which could potentially improve their cardiovascular fitness. Further study with a greater number of participants is warranted in this population using a similar training program. Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2425 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2402 The effects of an electrical muscle stimulation training intervention on physiological measures in a spinal cord injury male McCormack, Kirsti; Carty, Amanda; Coughlan, Garrett; Crowe, Louis; Caulfield, Brian Participation in aerobic exercise activity is considered necessary for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) to reduce the potential development of common co-morbidities associated with SCI such as cardiovascular (CV) disease, reduced bone mineral density (BMD), increases in body fat and decreases in lean body mass. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) has been advocated as offering a feasible exercise regime to SCI individuals. FES studies have reported improvements in BMD, CV fitness, body composition (BC) and quality of life (QOL), however its application is limited by its effect on muscle fatigue, as well as the need for specialist equipment and training. Recently, researchers have developed a new type of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) system, which appears to overcome the above issues. This system has improved heart rate (HR) and peak muscle oxygen consumption (VO2) within Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) patients, obese and sedentary adults [3,4]. An SCI population may benefit from a similar intervention and justifies further research into the effects this EMS system may have on SCI. Poster presentation at the 1st Annual Conference of the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (UK and Ireland Chapter), 15th & 16th April 2010, University of Salford, U.K. Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2402 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2401 An investigation into the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation exercise in type 2 diabetes : a case study Giggins, Oonagh M.; Coughlan, Garrett; Caulfield, Brian; Crowe, Louis Exercise is a vital component in the management and prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Both the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) advocate exercise as a treatment method for T2D. However, given the benefits of engaging in physical activity, many T2D patients are often unable to partake in physical activity secondary to complications of their diabetes or other musculoskeletal problems. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) exercise is a likely alternative for diabetic individuals who face barriers to physical activity. NMES has received much attention in recent years as a new form of inducing exercise. The ability of NMES to stimulate innervated muscle has resulted in it’s use as a training tool for individuals without neuromuscular pathology. Banerjee and colleagues showed that prolonged NMES exercise in sedentary adults resulted in significant improvements in maximal aerobic capacity, muscle strength and capacity for physical activity. The aim of this case study was to investigate the use of NMES exercise in T2D. Poster presentation at the 6th Annual RTRS Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 14th May, 2010 Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2401 2010-05-14T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2399 The use of SHIMMER to detect stride time in running gait McGrath, Denise; Greene, Barry R.; O'Donovan, Karol; Caulfield, Brian Wireless sensing solutions that provide for accurate long term monitoring of walking and running stride characteristics in a real world environment would be an excellent tool for biomechanics researchers. SHIMMER™ is a small, wireless, low-power inertial sensor with a large storage capacity that facilitates wearable wireless sensing in both connected and disconnected modes. It is a very flexible, multi-sensing device, consisting of a tri-axial accelerometer, with options of add-on daughter boards such as tri-axial gyropscopes, or ECG/EMG sensors. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of the SHIMMER wireless sensor platform for the determination of heel-strike and stride times, across a range of speeds, to a marker-based motion capture system (CODA, Charnwood Dynamics, UK). Previous studies have shown that the SHIMMER sensor and associated algorithms can successfully calculate these parameters in slow to fast walking speeds, but it has not yet been applied to running. Poster presentation at Engineering Emotion: 8th Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association, Vienna, July 12-16 2010 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2399 2010-07-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2397 The physiological effects of low level electrical stimulation on short term recovery from supra maximal exercise bouts : a case study. Malone, John; Coughlan, Garrett; Crowe, Louis; Caulfield, Brian Inadequate recovery from short-term, high-intensity bouts of exercise can be a limiting factor to optimal sporting performance [1]. Previous research investigating recovery from intense exercise using various intervention protocols (e.g., active recovery, massage, cold and contrast water therapy, compression suits etc.) have generally found positive results when compared to passive recovery [2,3]. A recent study utilised electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) as an intervention for short-term recovery (< 1 hr) between bouts of intense exercise [4]. They concluded that EMS shows promise as an alternate recovery treatment for lowering blood lactate when compared to passive recovery. Poster presentation at 1st Annual Conference of the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (UK and Ireland Chapter), Salford, U.K., 15-16 April, 2010 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2397 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2385 A pilot investigation into the effects of electrical muscle stimulation training on physical fitness in an adult cystic fibrosis population. Holcroft, Lorna; Coughlan, Garrett; Crowe, Louis; Caulfield, Brian; Nicholson, T.; Barry, P.; Gallagher, C. G. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-limiting genetic disease in caucasians. Skeletal muscle weakness and exercise intolerance is prevalent in people with cystic fibrosis. Although higher levels of fitness have been associated with better quality of well-being and improved eight year survival training among individuals with CF is limited due to fatigue, hypoxaemia and dyspnoea.Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has demonstrated improvements in muscle strength, exercise tolerance and aerobic capacity in cardiorespiratory disease populations, while having minimal impact on oxygen saturation levels and heart rate. Poster presentation at the 2010 ACPRC Conference, Nottingham, U.K., 16-17 April, 2010 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2385 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2384 Fatigue : a case for single subject analysis McGrath, Denise; Caulfield, Brian Neuromuscular fatigue is relative to the physical capabilities of an individual at a given point in time, and is brought about by a complex combination of central and peripheral factors. Fatigue protocols used in biomechanical research cannot, therefore, be expected to elicit a homogenous response in all research participants. Attempts to establish generalized models for movement outcomes and strategies due to fatigue through descriptive group statistics may therefore be an impractical approach. An alternative approach, single-subject (SS) analysis, may be more appropriate. SS analysis does not imply “case-study” investigation. Rather, it involves an in-depth analysis of individuals to better understand what unique responses, if any, they have in common (Bates, 1996). The aim of this study was to carry out both group and SS analyses on pre- and post- fatigue outcome measures in order to establish how the selected statistical methodology might influence conclusions drawn. Poster presentation at the 15th Annual Conference of the European College of Sport Science, Antalya, 23-26 June 2010 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2384 2010-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2383 A pilot investigation into the effects of electrical muscle stimulation training on physical fitness in an adult cystic fibrosis population Holcroft, Lorna; Coughlan, Garrett; Caulfield, Brian; Crowe, Louis; Barry, P.; Nicholson, T.; Gallagher, C. G. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-limiting genetic disease in Caucasians. [1] Progressive respiratory and gastro intestinal disease are the predominant clinical manifestations of the disease. As a consequence of general de-conditioning, skeletal muscle weakness and exercise intolerance is prevalent among patients with CF. [2] Although higher levels of fitness have been associated with better quality of wellbeing and eight-year survival, training among individuals with CF is limited due to fatigue, hypoxemia and dyspnoea. [3] Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) has demonstrated improvements in muscle strength, exercise tolerance and aerobic capacity in chronic cardio respiratory disease populations, while having minimal impact on heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation levels. [4,5] Presented at the 1st Annual Conference of the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (UK and Ireland Chapter), 15-16 April, 2010, University of Salford, U.K. Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2383 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2299 The effects of electrical muscle stimulation training in a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease population – a pilot study Hennessy, Eilis; Coughlan, Garrett; Caulfield, Brian; Crowe, Louis; Perumal, Shakila Devi; McDonnell, Tim J. Exercise training is currently advocated as a therapeutic modality for improving the systemic manifestations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) -including peripheral muscle dysfunction, decreased exercise tolerance, weight loss, depletion of muscle mass and muscle strength and poor health status. Owing to a limited cardiopulmonary reserve, COPD patients are frequently physically unable to tolerate sufficient training intensities which would afford them with the benefits associated with conventional exercise training interventions. Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) appears to have a limited demand on ventilatory requirements and dyspnoea, and may be a promising exercise training alternative for patients with COPD. Poster presentation at the 1st Annual Conference of the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (UK and Ireland Chapter), 15-16 April 2010, University of Salford, U.K. Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2299 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2293 An investigation into the effects of electrical muscle stimulation training in type 2 diabetes mellitus : a case study Giggins, Oonagh M.; Butler, H. W.; Caulfield, Brian; Crowe, Louis; Coughlan, Garrett Exercise is a vital component in the management and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Both the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) advocate exercise as a treatment method for T2DM. However, given the benefits of engaging in physical activity, many T2DM patients are often unable to partake in physical activity secondary to complications of their diabetes or other musculoskeletal problems. Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) exercise is a likely alternative for diabetic individuals who face barriers to physical activity. EMS has received much attention in recent years as a new form of inducing exercise. Banerjee and colleagues showed that prolonged EMS exercise in sedentary adults resulted in significant improvements in maximal aerobic capacity, muscle strength and capacity for physical activity. Presented at the 1st Annual Conference of the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (UK and Ireland Chapter), Salford, U.K., 15-16 April, 2010 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2293 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2292 An investigation into the acute effects of electrical muscle stimulation on cardiopulmonary function in a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient - a pilot case study Hennessy, Eilis; Coughlan, Garrett; Caulfield, Brian; Crowe, Louis; Perumal, Shakila Devi; McDonnell, Tim J. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients commonly find it difficult to participate in conventional aerobic exercise training owing to limited cardiopulmonary reserve, excessive dyspnoea and muscle fatigue. Recent studies have shown that significant improvements in oxygen consumption can be gained post 6-week electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) training. Low frequency currents elicit a sustained and significant aerobic response and may be appropriate for COPD patients, who cannot exercise in a conventional manner. A recent study compared the acute metabolic response among COPD patients during resistance training and EMS, using a tetanic frequency of 75 Hertz (Hz), however no investigations have reported on the acute effects of EMS on cardiopulmonary function in a COPD population, using low frequency stimulation current. Poster presentation at the 1st Annual Conference of the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (UK and Ireland Chapter), 15-16 April 2010, University of Salford, U.K. Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2292 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2291 Validation of a functional fatigue protocol McGrath, Denise; Caulfield, Brian Neuromuscular fatigue is believed to be a contributing factor to injury in athletic situations. To examine this idea, it is necessary to establish functional fatigue models that are representative of the type of physical activity that takes place in athletic training and competition. The purpose of this study was to validate a novel functional fatigue protocol (FFP) that reproduces the demands of a sporting situation i.e. accelerating and decelerating the body, changing direction, jumping, landing, and metabolic stress. Presented at the 18th Congress of the International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology (ISEK 2010), Aalborg, 16-19 June 2010 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2291 2010-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2290 A common awareness and knowledge platform for studying and enabling independent living – CAPSIL Bennis, Caoimhe; McGrath, Denise; Caulfield, Brian; Knapp, Ben; Coghlan, Niall The population of the world is growing older, and the balance of old to young is shifting so that by 2050 over 30% of the population is expected to be over 60 years old, with particularly high ratios of old to young in the EU, USA and Japan. CAPSIL is an FP7 Coordinating Support Action that incorporates a strategic international coalition of University and Industrial partners that already have extensive teams developing hardware/software/knowledge solutions to independent living based on user requirements. CAPSIL has two fundamental goals: 1. To carry out an analysis of the state of the art with regards to technology, healthcare and public policy in the EU, US and Japan for enabling independent living for older adults. Based on this analysis, develop a detailed roadmap for EU research to achieve effective and sustainable solutions for independent living 2. To support aging research by proposing procedures to incorporate all of these diverse solutions into WiKi entries (CAPSIL WiKi). It is our hope that these CAPSIL WiKi’s will enable researchers and the ICT industry to get the information they need to quickly and easily test solutions for prolonging independent living within the many and various heterogeneous communities. In this paper we will summarise the principal findings of the CAPSIL Roadmap and present an overview of the main research gaps and recommendations for policy and research development. Finally, we will introduce the CAPSIL WiKi infrastructure. Presented at the AGEmap 2010 Workshop on Roadmaps towards a strategic research agenda for ICT in active ageing at the 4th International conference on Pervasive Computing for Healthcare 2010 Conference (AGEMAP Workshop), Munich, Germany, March 22-25, 2010 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2290 2010-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2288 Acute physiological responses to electrical muscle stimulation in a spinal cord injured man – a case study McCormack, Kirsti; Carty, Amanda; Coughlan, Garrett; Crowe, Louis; Caulfield, Brian Cardiovascular (CV) disease is a leading cause of death in populations with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and is contributed to by a lack of opportunities to engage in physical activity as well as limited motor function [1]. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) has been suggested as a novel CV training tool to alleviate this problem associated with SCI by increasing peak oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) [2]. However the use of FES is limited by its effect on muscle fatigue as well as the need for specialist equipment and training. Our research group have devised an electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) training device which has improved CV health in obese and chronic heart failure populations [3], whose symptoms are akin to those of SCI patients with CV symptoms. These results warrant further investigation into this system`s effects on the CV health of people with SCI. Poster presentation at 1st Annual Conference of the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (UK and Ireland Chapter) UKIFESS, Salford, U.K., 15-16 April, 2010 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2288 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10197/1921 A comparison of a computer game-based exercise system with conventional approaches of exercise therapy in rheumatology patients McCormack, Kirsti; Fitzgerald, Diarmaid; FitzGerald, Oliver; Caulfield, Brian; O'Huiginn, Brendan; Smyth, Barry There is a need to increase long-term exercise compliance amongst rheumatology patients to improve symptoms and quality of life. Exergaming systems, (computer video-game based exercise) could provide these patients with a motivating exercise tool to achieve such. This study aimed to compare the subjective reports of a group of rheumatology patients who exercised with an exergaming system to the reports of a similar group who performed the conventional, equivalent form of exercise, without the exergaming system. Presented at Rheumatology '09, British Society of Rheumatology and British Health Professionals in Rheumatology Annual Meetings 2009, Glasgow, 28 April - 01 May 2009 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10197/1921 2009-04-01T00:00:00Z