The objective of this work was to create special swimming aids that would rectify the body position of individuals with spinal lesion in water on the basis of hydrodynamic lift. Prototypes of such aids were designed after the analysis of spontaneous positioning of individuals with different degree of spinal lesion in water and after defining the characteristics that were common to all of them. The aids were tested from the standpoint of influence on kinematics of swimming movement. We compared the size of angle in hip joint and knee joint and the changes during the three swimming cycles in chosen swimming style with the help of 3D analysis of video recording of the movements of swimmer without the aids and with the aids by using the SIMI°Motion program. These are supplemented with the series of pictures showing the swimmer’s movements during one cycle recorded by two cameras. To test the effectiveness of the swimming aids on lowering the resistance of water surrounding, we used speed tests in water canal where we gradually increased the speed of flowing through water. A pilot study with 7 individuals with spinal lesion was carried out. The choice of tested individuals was intentionally outlined in such a way so that it could include different possible manifestations of syndromes of spinal damage and consequently different number of functional muscles. In all tested individuals we expected improvement of hydrodynamic position of the body in water and consequently lowering of resistance of water surrounding. This should become evident at kinematics analysis as increasing of measured angles and lowering the angle between the body and water surface and higher speed of swimming at speed tests. We expected direct relationship between the size of changes and the extension of spinal lesion of tested individuals. Our hypothesis was confirmed only partly. There was improvement of hydrodynamic position of body in water from the standpoint of kinematics in all tested individuals when the aids were used. But this resulted in higher acquired speed of swimming in only 5 tested individuals. There was no change of speed in 2 of the tested individuals. The expected trend of direct relationship between the size of change and the extension of spinal lesion was not confirmed.

Charles University Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Prague

Biomechanické aspekty plavání jedinců se spinální lézí a možnost jejich ovlivnění speciálními plaveckými pomůckami - 3D analýza

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