Sport Biomechanics, Article Critique Example

I selected to critique “Muscular control of scapholunate instability. An experimental study” for this assignment because it describes a biomechanical of the muscular system and provides suggestions on how to improve instability of a particular muscle. This reading therefore reflects what was learned in chapter 11 “The Muscular System: The Motors of the Body” and chapter 13 “Qualitative Biomechanical Analysis to Improve Technique”.

This article discusses that scapholunate ligament lesions will may not progress to a carpal instability if the neuromuscular stabilizers remain intact, although the mechanisms that contribute to the compensation for this defect are not well defined (León-López et al., 2014). To resolve this uncertainty, the author and his colleagues performed a study that examined this structure using the writs of 10 individuals who presented no lesion. In these wrists, they performed a detailed description of the “scaphoid, triquetrum and capitate produced by the isometrical loading of the muscles which move the wrist”. This examination would then be repeated after cutting off the scapholunate ligaments. Movement was tracked by placing sensors in the bones and using the Fastrack system for recording the data.

Ultimately, the researchers found that it is recommended to avoid scapholunate ligament lesions despite the neuromuscular stabilizing effect observed. I thought that this was an interesting experiment because I didn’t realize it would be ethical to cut off the scapholunate ligaments in the wrists of human volunteers. If this study had been conducted in animals however, I believe that it wouldn’t have adequately defined the relationship between the scapholunate ligament and neuromuscular stabilization due to the slightly different physiologies between humans and animal models. Furthermore, I believe this study is important because it demonstrates how we define what we know about the world of biomechanics.

References

León-López MM, García-Elías M, Salvà-Coll G, Llusá-Perez M, Lluch-Bergadà A. (2014). Muscular control of scapholunate instability. An experimental study. Revista Española de CirugíaOrtopédica y Traumatología. (58)1: 11-18.