Diagnosis of Motor Habits during Backward Fall with Usage of Rotating Training Simulator

Abstract

There are jobs with high risk of a fall. It seems reasonable to create a device for diagnosis and improving safe fall skills for workers. The aim of the present study was a verification of usability of a rotating training simulator for assessing motor habits during a fall caused by an external force by conducting validation procedure. Material and Methods: the participants were chosen from a group of 128 students of physical education of the University of Zielona Góra. Predictive validity was determined by comparing results of immediate fall test (IFT) to forced fall test (FFT). Repeatability was determined by conduction test/retest conditions. Reliability was also determined by comparing grades given by two observers with those given by an expert. Results: the acquired results show that there were no significant differences between results of IFT and FFT tests conditions and also no significant differences between test/retest conditions separetly for IFT and FFT, alongside with moderate correlation of its results. Good and excellent reliability ICC values were obtained for observers and experts (from r = 0.853 to 1.00). Summary: the obtained results show that the rotating training simulator is a valid and reliable tool for diagnosing motor habits during a fall caused by an external force.

Susceptibility to Head Injury during Backward Fall with Side Aligning of the Body

“…Some scientists have found that proper movement habits in a fall can protect against certain bodily injuries to some extent. The scientific literature reports that most countries do not teach in their schools appropriate movement habits during falls [6,7]. This work analyses backward falls of which a person is aware and can respond with specific motor reactions during the fall.…”

“…Platforms [12] and foot-clamps [13,14] can also be used to study backward falls. Some researchers claim that, under certain conditions, falls are unavoidable, so it is quite reasonable to study what happens to a human body in a fall [6,15]. To assess the risks of falling backwards Appl.…”

“…One can also come across falls performed backward with side aligning of the body. This kind of fall is taught in some martial arts [6,19,20].…”

“…The second goal is the biomechanical analysis of the impact of the fall technique on the likelihood of head injury. The rotating training simulator (RTS) was used in the course of the research as it forces a backward fall utilizing inertia forces [6,21]. The loss of balance is induced by the inertia force leading to the person's falling down, which is a step forward compared to the previously described nonapparatus methods [22].…”

“…The loss of balance is induced by the inertia force leading to the person's falling down, which is a step forward compared to the previously described nonapparatus methods [22]. During the validation of this method, it was found that physical education students reveal certain motor habits when falling backwards [6]. The simulator itself is devised for people whose work or sports discipline involves falling.…”