ROM Resist & New Zealand

We will study what happens when you RESTRICT range of motion in a neurologically and structurally normal person. Some adults. We will start with teens, 6 boys and 6 girls from a nearby gymnastics school. We will restrict knee extension as our first series. From full extension (0 deg) to 60 degrees of loss of knee extension. A 60 degree 'contracture', so to speak. Our lab is a basketball court and the planned walk was around the court edge at whatever pace was 'comfortable and sustainable’. Typically a 30 degree contracture gets nearly 100% recommendation for surgery as being unsustainable. We have that scope of loss well covered. [Big thanks to Dr. Langrana from Rutgers engineering, the aeronautic engineering department as well as IEEE engineering members from Rutgers for help in getting these contraptions perfected. Jack Jolly MS (Rutgers engineering) thesis work was massive and perfect. ] At first, only one leg gets constrained. Study what both legs do when only one has constraint. We have already beaten ankle/foot constraint into the dust, (SACH SAWCH) so now the more important knee joint should be really disabling with more and more loss of allowed range. It wasn't. Test is too easy? OK, instead of walking around the big room, go down the several flights of stairs, around the hospital back up the stairs and then recircle the room. No problem? They are not even sweating! Ordering way more pizzas and cola than was anticipated but the only request we got from our subjects was "What next?" A week of this and our plan to simulate CP was going up in smoke. On to constraint of flexion, knee can only bend so far... Same. Keep adding other constraints, one leg, two legs, ankle with two legs etc etc etc. And NOTHING TO SHOW for it!!