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- My dad is old, like ready to retire
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and live his best life.
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Now that he has more time,
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he's decided to get back into sport.
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He's doing cricket, tennis,
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and even a little bit of gymnastics.
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But now that he's back into sport,
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he's finding he can't run as fast or jump as high
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as he used to be able to do.
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His foot spring has changed.
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Now feet are important as they are the first bit of the body
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which hits the ground when we move.
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So how do we move effectively and efficiently?
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Our foot acts like a spring, as it hits the ground,
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it deforms and energy is stored in the spring.
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As we push off the ground, this energy is then released.
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This can be really complicated to model,
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so most studies just view the foot as one rigid plank.
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It is more complicated to model the foot
1:00
as multiple different segments
1:02
as it becomes difficult to assign forces
1:05
to the different regions of the foot.
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This is important, as if we model the foot
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as multiple different segments,
1:13
we have a more realistic picture of what is going on
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and we can assign energy, work, and power
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credibly to the ankle, knee, and the hip.
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There are some differences between male and female
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walking and running but we don't know
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how a multi-segmented foot will impact this
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and impact how we view the ankle, knee, and hip.
1:36
In addition, even though we've been studying human movements
1:39
since Hippocrates, there are little we know about sprinting.
1:46
I plan to study walking, running, and sprinting
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but to do this, I need to collect data on it.
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To do this, we're gonna be looking at video footage
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using a 3D capture system and impact force data
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of when the foot hits the ground.
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This is commonly done either using an instrumented treadmill
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or an overground track with force plates underneath.
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Both these methods have pros and cons.
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But, instead of arguing which one's better,
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I'm gonna look at both and reveal the mystery
2:17
of the differences between overground and treadmill running.
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Being the first to study walking, running,
2:23
and sprinting between males and females,
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older adults and younger adults,
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overground and on a treadmill will revolutionise
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physiotherapy treatments,
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surgery treatments for lower limb abnormalities,
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and inform us on how we can age healthier.
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Maybe then we'll be able to get my dad jumping higher
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and running faster when he goes to his weekly sport.
2:46
(soft music plays)