Citation

Chuang TY, Lieu DK. J. Biomech. Eng. 1992; 114(3): 346-351.

Affiliation

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley 94720.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, American Society of Mechanical Engineers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1522729

Abstract

A parametric investigation of the thoracic injury potential of basic taekwondo kicks was conducted through the use of computer simulations. Linkage-based models were employed to simulate the kinetics of the kicking leg and were used to drive a human thorax model. The results of the analysis according to the thoracic compression criterion indicated a minimal probability of severe injury (AIS4+) for swing kicks, nearly 0 percent and thrust kicks, less than three percent. The thoracic viscous criteria, on the other hand, predicted a severe injury probability of up to 100 percent for swing kicks and up to 80 percent for thrust kicks. Additional analysis showed that the injury potential was a strong function of the kick velocity and a weak function of the applied constant force. The injury potential was also found to be a weak function of the size and weight of the kicking leg, with variations in the peak compression and viscous response being typically below 5 percent for a 20 percent change in either the mass or the length.

Language: en