title: The biomechanical effect of arm mass on long jump performance: A case study of a paralympic upper limb amputee.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of arm motion during the long jump has been well studied. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of forearm mass on impulse and the kinematics of the flight phase in an upper limb amputee.
  
  
  METHODS
  A world-record paralympic long jumper carried out jumps in three conditions: wearing his usual forearm prosthesis and with 0.3 and 0.4 kg added mass. A motion capture system including force plates was used to record the jump.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At take-off, the addition of 0.4 kg to the prosthesis decreased the vertical velocity of the centre of mass but increased horizontal velocity. These modifications were associated with an increase in landing distance and an improvement of the synchronization between arms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing forearm mass appears to improve long jump performance. Further studies need to evaluate the optimal prosthetic mass for both training and competition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This biomechanical analysis of the long jump highlighted the effects of changing prosthesis mass on performance. This methodological approach may be useful in the context of sport and performance research.
authors.affiliation: EA 4497 GRCTH, CIC-IT 805, AP-HP, CHU Raymond Poincaré, Garches, France didier.pradon@rpc.aphp.fr.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pradon
authors.affiliation: Hôpital cantonal de Genève, Laboratoire de cinésiologie Willy Taillard, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazure-Bonnefoy
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire sport expertise et performance, département recherche, Service Recherche, INSEP, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rabita
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Analyse et de Restauration du Mouvement, CHU Henri Mondor, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hutin
authors.affiliation: EA 2931,Centre de recherche sur le sport et le mouvement, Université de Paris X, Nanterre, France.
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zory
authors.affiliation: Université de Paris X, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slawinski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000674:Amputees; D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology*; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D056352:Athletes; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Biomechanics; arm; long jump