Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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Pilates and string musicians: an exploration of the issues addressed by the pilates method, an illustrated guide to adapted exercises, and a pilates course for university string players

Description
String players have been identified as the most affected group of instrumentalists suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, and most of the problems are related to posture. The high prevalence of injuries among string players suggests that there is room in the music curriculum for a program tailored to this population and…

String players have been identified as the most affected group of instrumentalists suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, and most of the problems are related to posture. The high prevalence of injuries among string players suggests that there is room in the music curriculum for a program tailored to this population and that can provide both immediate and long-term solutions. Pilates is a mind-body conditioning method of exercises and a philosophy that shares many similarities with string playing technique and performance, which suggests that its practice can be beneficial to improve not only the posture of string players but also various other areas. Studies about Pilates as a treatment show the varied areas in which Pilates can help, which are all of interest to instrumentalists. However, the application of Pilates into the music curriculum as a way to help string players improve awareness and reduce injuries has not yet been fully explored. This document addresses the similarities between Pilates and string playing, identifies postural tendencies of string players, and demonstrates how specific Pilates exercises can help counteract asymmetries, restore balance, and reduce the number of musculoskeletal injuries of string players. All anatomical drawings included in this document were adapted from other sources, as cited, or originally drawn by the author.
ContributorsGallo, María Luciana (Author) / Norton, Kay (Thesis advisor) / Landschoot, Thomas (Thesis advisor) / Humphreys, Jere T. (Committee member) / Rotaru, Catalin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
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A Wearable Real-Time Auditory Feedback System to Improve Gait and Posture in Parkinson’s Disease

Description
Nearly one percent of the population over 65 years of age is living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and this population worldwide is projected to be approximately nine million by 2030. PD is a progressive neurological disease characterized by both motor and cognitive impairments. One of the most serious challenges for…

Nearly one percent of the population over 65 years of age is living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and this population worldwide is projected to be approximately nine million by 2030. PD is a progressive neurological disease characterized by both motor and cognitive impairments. One of the most serious challenges for an individual as the disease progresses is the increasing severity of gait and posture impairments since they result in debilitating conditions such as freezing of gait, increased likelihood of falls, and poor quality of life. Although dopaminergic therapy and deep brain stimulation are generally effective, they often fail to improve gait and posture deficits. Several recent studies have employed real-time feedback (RTF) of gait parameters to improve walking patterns in PD. In earlier work, results from the investigation of the effects of RTF of step length and back angle during treadmill walking demonstrated that people with PD could follow the feedback and utilize it to modulate movements favorably in a manner that transferred, at least acutely, to overground walking. In this work, recent advances in wearable technologies were leveraged to develop a wearable real-time feedback (WRTF) system that can monitor and evaluate movements and provide feedback during daily activities that involve overground walking. Specifically, this work addressed the challenges of obtaining accurate gait and posture measures from wearable sensors in real-time and providing auditory feedback on the calculated real-time measures for rehabilitation. An algorithm was developed to calculate gait and posture variables from wearable sensor measurements, which were then validated against gold-standard measurements. The WRTF system calculates these measures and provides auditory feedback in real-time. The WRTF system was evaluated as a potential rehabilitation tool for use by people with mild to moderate PD. Results from the study indicated that the system can accurately measure step length and back angle, and that subjects could respond to real-time auditory feedback in a manner that improved their step length and uprightness. These improvements were exhibited while using the system that provided feedback and were sustained in subsequent trials immediately thereafter in which subjects walked without receiving feedback from the system.
ContributorsMuthukrishnan, Niveditha (Author) / Abbas, James (Thesis advisor) / Krishnamurthi, Narayanan (Thesis advisor) / Shill, Holly A (Committee member) / Honeycutt, Claire (Committee member) / Turaga, Pavan (Committee member) / Ingalls, Todd (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022