Author: Michelle Pham-Nguyen
Pham-Nguyen, Michelle, 2018 Load Distribution During Strength Training for Athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering
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For athletes with cerebral palsy (CP), understanding how well they train is extremely important. It is important that when they undergo strength training that their unaffected side isn’t compensating for their affected side. The coaches and trainers play a crucial role in monitoring the athletes and ensuring that they are training correctly. However, it is difficult to identify if the athletes are training correctly. Therefore, technology can be used to measure the athletes load distributions during a strength training exercise to guarantee both limbs are being trained equally. Devices such as force plates can be extremely expensive and hard to use, stopping coaches from monitoring their athletes. A possible solution to this is the Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB). The WBB is capable of measuring load distributions by manipulating the weight measurements obtained from its 4 strain gauges. The portability and low cost of the Wii Balance Board make it an ideal device.
Keywords: Wii Balance Board, Load Distribution, Cerebral Palsy, Athletes, Strength Training
Subject: Engineering thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2018
School: College of Science and Engineering
Supervisor: Mark Taylor