The purpose of this study was to collect reference data on different aspects of performance, including reaction time, speed of movement, tapping speed, and coordination of hands and feet using Human Performance Measurement/Basic Elements of Performance equipment and reports of reference data findings. Also, the reliability of the measurements is presented. 200 healthy, randomly selected subjects (100 men, 100 women; aged 21-70 years) were categorized by gender and by age decade into ten groups. The test battery consisted of six tests for both hands and feet. In general, the performance decreased clearly after 50 years in both genders. There were statistically significant differences between hands and feet, dominant and non-dominant sides, age groups, and number of choices, and especially between men and women.

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The object was to study the relationships between calf muscle size and strength in 85 patients an average of 3.1 years after repair of achilles tendon rupture. The isokinetic calf muscle strength results were excellent or good for 73% of the patients, whereas calf muscle size was normal in only 30%. The average plantar flexion peak torque per unit muscle cross-sectional area was higher on the injured side than on the uninjured side. The average calf muscle cross-sectional area deficit was 15+/-9% (p<0.001) of that on the unaffected side, while the average plantar flexion peak torque deficit was speed-dependent, being 9+/-18%, 10+/-18 and 2+/-13% of that on the unaffected side at 30, 90, and 240 degrees/sec (p<0.001). The correlation between cross-sectional area and peak torque varied in the range 0.52-0.61 at 30, 90 and 240 degrees/sec (p<0.001).

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The purpose of the study was to examine the recovery of some motor performance aspects of the lower extremity after Achilles tendon (AT) rupture repair by early functional postoperative treatment and early postoperative immobilization of the AT in tension in the early phase of recovery. The measured motor performance aspects were reaction time, speed of movement, foot tapping speed and coordination. The study population comprised 30 patients operated on for an acute, complete, closed AT rupture. The surgical technique was Kessler sutures plus one aponeurosis flap in all cases, and postoperatively the subjects were randomly divided to have immobilization with a plaster cast or an active brace. Measurements were made 12 and 24 weeks after the operation. There were no statistically significant differences in the results between the operated and contralateral nonoperated lower extremities 12 and 24 weeks after the operation in either group. When the results were compared between the plaster cast and active brace groups, no statistically significant differences were seen in reaction times, speed of movement, tapping speed and anterior-posterior coordination on either side, but the lateral coordination value of the operated leg was higher in the plaster cast group than in the active brace group 12 weeks after the operation (p<0.05). By 24 weeks after the operation, this unique difference had disappeared. It seems that the recovery of the above mentioned motor performance functions of the leg does not depend on whether the leg is in a plaster cast with the AT in tension or in an active brace during the early postoperative period after AT rupture repair. These functions of the operated leg had recovered to the level of the contralateral nonoperated leg by 12 weeks after the operation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of delayed-onset muscle soreness after a strength-training session on the motor performance of the upper extremities, including the reaction time, speed of movement, tapping speed and coordination. In addition, muscle strength, electromyographic (EMG) activity, creatine kinase (CK) and soreness responses were measured. The study was a randomised cross-over intervention study, where 30 subjects (divided into two groups, A and B) performed a 1-h muscle strength-training session of the upper extremities, and the responses were measured 48 h after that. All of the subjects experienced muscle soreness, which was evaluated on a visual analogue scale. The mean value of CK activity was 115 IU.l-1 before training and 1259 IU.l-1 after training (P < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in wrist flexion/extension muscle strength or EMG tests in either group. Isometric elbow extension strength decreased by 4% (P < 0.01) in group A, and elbow flexion strength decreased by 6% (P < 0.05) in group B. There were no statistically significant changes in simple reaction time, choice reaction time, or speed of movement or coordination in either group. However, tapping speed decreased by 2% (P < 0.05) in group A and by 6% (P < 0.001) in group B. Based on the results of this study, it seems that the feeling of incompetence to perform fast and accurate movements with sore muscles is mainly a subjective feeling, and it may be that the real effect of muscle soreness on motor performance is quite small, and presumably less than generally assumed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of strapping on different components of motor performance of wrist and ankle joints. The subjects were 14 healthy volunteers (12 females, two males), aged 21-33 years, with no known previous injuries of the ankle and wrist joints. The measurements were made with the HPMIBEP system and Isokinetic Lido Active Multi-joint system. First, the subjects performed the test without strapping and then, on the following day, with strapped right wrist and ankle joints. The strapping of the wrist increased the simple reaction time by 9%, choice reaction time by 9% and decreased the wrist tapping speed by 21%. Wrist strength decreased in flexion (18Oo/s) by 14% and ulnar deviation (180'1s) by 8% . The strapping of the ankle increased the simple reaction time by 129' 0, choice reaction time by 9% and decreased foot tapping speed by 14%. Ankle strength in plantar flexion decreased in 60'1 s by 22% and 180"ls by 14% and in inversion in 60'1s by 28% and 180' 1 s by 15%. These results suggest the strapping of ankle and wrist joints reduces motor performance in the above-mentioned directions as measured by the following parameters: simple reaction time, choice reaction time, tapping speed, and muscle strength.

Heavy equipment operation is a responsible and difficult task causing mental workload on a human operator and exposing the operator to a range of harmful factors. Human factors and ergonomics in heavy equipment design have traditionally been focused on anthropometry and questionnaires. More advanced techniques involving biosignal measurements were not applied to heavy equipment, mainly due to the diversity of real working conditions that were hard to reproduce in a laboratory environment and that prevented ambulatory studies. Recent advances in wearable biosensors and real-time simulators produce the capability of using biosignals for improving the ergonomics of heavy equipment operation. The present paper reviews the use of biosignals in human factors and the ergonomics of heavy machines by focusing on stress detection for the last ten years. The aim of the paper is analyzing the previous implemented algorithms to find a set of biosignals and methods of stress identification that could be suitable for identifying stress in heavy equipment operators both in laboratory and ambulatory studies. The conclusion emphasizes successful stress identification methods and a combination of the algorithms from different studies that facilitate the use of heavy equipment operator's applications. Also, feasible methods and directions for future research are considered.