Skin Movement of the Trunk during Trunk Rotation

Tsutomu Fukui
1)Bunkyo Gakuin University,Health Care Science, Graduate School, Tokyo, Japan.
2) Bunkyo Gakuin University,Sports management Laboratory,Tokyo, Japan.

Introduction Purpose Results

Skin movement artifact has been one of the essential problems of three-dimensional motion analysis. The
Present experiments were undertaken to verify
problem which occurs in between skin and bone has not been solved yet. Nevertheless, skin movement During right trunk rotation, markers on frontal-
the relationship of skin movement of trunk during
might have some principles according to our research. One of the principles is about the wrinkle which might
rotational movement. The purpose of this study right skin of the trunk moved upward and laterally
affect the limitation of the joint. We showed that the skin of the frontal thigh moved distally (to the knee) relative to the trunk coordinate system, frontal-left
was to analyze skin movement of the trunk during
relative to the femur during hip flexion, and proximal (to the hip) movement occurred during hip extension. skin of the trunk moved downward and medially.
trunk rotation while sitting.
Conversely, skin on the back of the thigh moved in the opposite direction [Fig.1]. Similar movements were Back-left skin of the trunk moved upward and
also observed around shoulder skin during shoulder movement [Fig.2]. Also we have observed the same laterally during right trunk rotation. Back-right skin
movement on the lateral thigh during pelvis sway [Fig.3]. Sliding originated in superficial fascia layer might
of the trunk moved medially but had different
help the movement which was detected by using ultrasonography [Fig.4].
Clinically the skin movement principle has had a great effect on human motion [Fig.5]. If we encourage the
Methods upward or downward directions depending on
individuals. During left rotation of the trunk, we
movement of skin, the people who have any difficulty will be able to move more easily. But there is little Subjects observed the opposite motions on each marker.
research concerning trunk skin movement. Age (years old) Height [cm] Weight [kg]
Profile
5 males 24.2 ±3.87 169.4 ±3.27 62.8±3.20

Skin movements of trunk were detected

sequentially by a three-dimensional motion
analysis system with 64 markers which were
placed frontal, back and lateral to the trunk skin.
Eight markers were put in eight longitudinal lines.
Each subject sat on a 40cm tall wooden chair and
placed their feet parallel to the floor. They were
asked to make right trunk rotation in three second 1
Fig.1 Skin Movement during hip & Knee flexion Fig.2 Skin Movement during shoulder flexion 1
periods and back to the neutral position at the 2
ANGL same pace. And they moved their trunk to the left
in the same sequence. Their fingers were
2deg E1
ANGL
E2

interlocked and placed behind their heads.

ANGL
E3 2
ANGL
E4
ANGL
E5

Analysis
ANGL
E6

Sixty-four markers were captured by three- 3 4 3

dimensional motion analysis system [VICON: Vicon
anter poste Motion Systems] with eight MX cameras by using
280
187

373
466
559
652
745
838
931
1

2233
1024
1117
1210
1303
1396
1489
1582
1675
1768
1861
1954
2047
2140

2326
94

rior Spline compensation method and sampling rate 4

was 100Hz. Three dimensional coordinates of each
marker were analyzed[Fig.6].
Fig.7 Marker coodination (Z:height) during R rotation
Fig.3 Skin Movement during Pelvis A-P sway Fig.4 Sliding at the superficail fascia layer

Skin movement might have

some principles. Acknowledgements
Ethics committee in Health care Science , Graduate School &
Health Science Technology, Bunkyo Gakuin University
approved this experiment.

Tsutomu Fukui, RPT, PhD

Bunkyo Gakuin university, Tokyo, Japan
How about Trunk rotation? fukui@hst.u-bunkyo.ac.jp
http://www.u-bunkyo.ac.jp/center/sports/
Fig.5 Skin Movement related taping
Fig.6 Marker placement
Presented at World Physical Therapy 2011, Amsterdam June 2011