Good posture and strong core muscles are essential for most athletic movements, but also for everyday activities. Among them, walking and running require lumbo-pelvic stability and mobility for efficient movement and high-level performace. This is especially important during a large range of trunk motions when changing the direction of movement, an abrupt walk to run transition, or extreme uphill and downhill walking or running. Such repetitive trunk loading over time can contribute to occurence of back problems and lower limb injuries. To avoid these unwanted effects, a novel approach to studying the physiology of locomotion in relation to spine motion and balance function is required. This can provide a basis for designing exercise programs specifically tailored for competitive athletes, the healthy general population, as well as those suffering from movement disorders. So far, much effort has been devoted to investigating the biomechanical and physiological variations of locomotion, including walking, running, swimming or hopping. However, a surprising gap in the evidence is to what extent core strength contributes to effective locomotor performance and a healthy back. Studying the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the control of postural and core stability, with special reference to locomotion, is therefore of great importance.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2007, held in Hong Kong, China, in June 2007. It covers virtual and augmented reality in game and education, virtual characters in games and education, e-learning platforms and tools, geometry in games and virtual reality, vision, imaging and video technology, as well as collaborative and distributed environments.

Every year workers' low-back, hand, and arm problems lead to time away from jobs and reduce the nation's economic productivity. The connection of these problems to workplace activities-from carrying boxes to lifting patients to pounding computer keyboards-is the subject of major disagreements among workers, employers, advocacy groups, and researchers. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace examines the scientific basis for connecting musculoskeletal disorders with the workplace, considering people, job tasks, and work environments. A multidisciplinary panel draws conclusions about the likelihood of causal links and the effectiveness of various intervention strategies. The panel also offers recommendations for what actions can be considered on the basis of current information and for closing information gaps. This book presents the latest information on the prevalence, incidence, and costs of musculoskeletal disorders and identifies factors that influence injury reporting. It reviews the broad scope of evidence: epidemiological studies of physical and psychosocial variables, basic biology, biomechanics, and physical and behavioral responses to stress. Given the magnitude of the problem-approximately 1 million people miss some work each year-and the current trends in workplace practices, this volume will be a must for advocates for workplace health, policy makers, employers, employees, medical professionals, engineers, lawyers, and labor officials.

Physical rehabilitation for walking recovery after spinal cord injury is undergoing a paradigm shift. Therapy historically has focused on compensation for sensorimotor deficits after SCI using wheelchairs and bracing to achieve mobility. With locomotor training, the aim is to promote recovery via activation of the neuromuscular system below the level of the lesion. What basic scientists have shown us as the potential of the nervous system for plasticity, to learn, even after injury is being translated into a rehabilitation strategy by taking advantage of the intrinsic biology of the central nervous system. While spinal cord injury from basic and clinical perspectives was the gateway for developing locomotor training, its application has been extended to other populations with neurologic dysfunction resulting in loss of walking or walking disability.

Kinanthropometrics is the study of the human body size and somatotypes and their quantitative relationships with exercise and nutrition. This is the third edition of a successful text on the subject.