Kinematic Comparison on Lower Limb Kicking Action of Fetuses in Different Gestational Weeks: A Pilot Study
The fetal movements during different gestational weeks are essential for normal musculoskeletal development. The kinematic characteristics of fetuses with small differences in gestational weeks may be different and important. Ultrasonographic videos of fetal kicking action and plantarflexion action...
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2021-08-01
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doaj-5df131c2de96446b89be3c9554e932e32021-08-26T13:47:58ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322021-08-0191057105710.3390/healthcare9081057Kinematic Comparison on Lower Limb Kicking Action of Fetuses in Different Gestational Weeks: A Pilot StudyHairong Chen0Yang Song1Rongrong Xuan2Qiuli Hu3Julien S. Baker4Yaodong Gu5Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaFaculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaThe Affiliated of School of Medicine of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaFaculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaCentre for Health and Exercise Science Research, Department of Sport and Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong 999077, ChinaFaculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaThe fetal movements during different gestational weeks are essential for normal musculoskeletal development. The kinematic characteristics of fetuses with small differences in gestational weeks may be different and important. Ultrasonographic videos of fetal kicking action and plantarflexion action were collected from three healthy pregnant women (24, 27, and 30 gestational weeks) with normal fetal development. The kinematic characteristics, including angular range and angular velocity, were analyzed. These kinematic parameters were measured using simi motion. The final knee angle was found to decrease with progressive gestational weeks. Compared with 24 w, the knee joint angle at 27 w and 30 w was significantly reduced at the end of a kick-type movement (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Except for the mean angular velocity of the knee joint, there were no significant differences in the other conditions. The value at 30 w for mean angular velocity was significantly higher than that at 24 w (<i>p</i> = 0.02). In the ankle joint, no significant differences were observed between different conditions. Therefore, we can conclude that there was no significant difference in the kinematic characteristics of the ankle joint for small gestational age gaps, but there was a significant difference in the knee joint. As the gestation weeks increase, the range of kicking motion tends to decrease. The reason may be that with the increase of gestational weeks, fetal lower limb musculoskeletal development is gradually enhanced; the slower growth rate indicates that development reaches a peak level in weeks 24 to 30.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/8/1057fetal movementkicking actionkinematicsimi motionultrasound |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Hairong Chen Yang Song Rongrong Xuan Qiuli Hu Julien S. Baker Yaodong Gu |
spellingShingle |
Hairong Chen Yang Song Rongrong Xuan Qiuli Hu Julien S. Baker Yaodong Gu Kinematic Comparison on Lower Limb Kicking Action of Fetuses in Different Gestational Weeks: A Pilot Study Healthcare fetal movement kicking action kinematic simi motion ultrasound |
author_facet |
Hairong Chen Yang Song Rongrong Xuan Qiuli Hu Julien S. Baker Yaodong Gu |
author_sort |
Hairong Chen |
title |
Kinematic Comparison on Lower Limb Kicking Action of Fetuses in Different Gestational Weeks: A Pilot Study |
title_short |
Kinematic Comparison on Lower Limb Kicking Action of Fetuses in Different Gestational Weeks: A Pilot Study |
title_full |
Kinematic Comparison on Lower Limb Kicking Action of Fetuses in Different Gestational Weeks: A Pilot Study |
title_fullStr |
Kinematic Comparison on Lower Limb Kicking Action of Fetuses in Different Gestational Weeks: A Pilot Study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Kinematic Comparison on Lower Limb Kicking Action of Fetuses in Different Gestational Weeks: A Pilot Study |
title_sort |
kinematic comparison on lower limb kicking action of fetuses in different gestational weeks: a pilot study |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Healthcare |
issn |
2227-9032 |
publishDate |
2021-08-01 |
description |
The fetal movements during different gestational weeks are essential for normal musculoskeletal development. The kinematic characteristics of fetuses with small differences in gestational weeks may be different and important. Ultrasonographic videos of fetal kicking action and plantarflexion action were collected from three healthy pregnant women (24, 27, and 30 gestational weeks) with normal fetal development. The kinematic characteristics, including angular range and angular velocity, were analyzed. These kinematic parameters were measured using simi motion. The final knee angle was found to decrease with progressive gestational weeks. Compared with 24 w, the knee joint angle at 27 w and 30 w was significantly reduced at the end of a kick-type movement (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Except for the mean angular velocity of the knee joint, there were no significant differences in the other conditions. The value at 30 w for mean angular velocity was significantly higher than that at 24 w (<i>p</i> = 0.02). In the ankle joint, no significant differences were observed between different conditions. Therefore, we can conclude that there was no significant difference in the kinematic characteristics of the ankle joint for small gestational age gaps, but there was a significant difference in the knee joint. As the gestation weeks increase, the range of kicking motion tends to decrease. The reason may be that with the increase of gestational weeks, fetal lower limb musculoskeletal development is gradually enhanced; the slower growth rate indicates that development reaches a peak level in weeks 24 to 30. |
topic |
fetal movement kicking action kinematic simi motion ultrasound |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/8/1057 |
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