Biomechanics of the Upper Limbs: A Review in the Sports Combat Ambit Highlighting Wearable Sensors

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 22; no. 13; p. 4905
• Main Authors: Blanco Ortega, Andrés, Isidro Godoy, Jhonatan, Szwedowicz Wasik, Dariusz Slawomir, Martínez Rayón, Eladio, Cortés García, Claudia, Ramón Azcaray Rivera, Héctor, Gómez Becerra, Fabio Abel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 29.06.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Acceleration; Arm; Biomechanics; Biosensors; Boxing; Combat sports; Extremities, Upper; Human body; Human mechanics; inertial sensors; Injuries; Martial arts; Measuring instruments; mechanical power; Miniaturization; muscle power; Olympic games; Physiological aspects; Review; Sensors; Sports; Testing; upper extremity; wearable sensors; Wearable technology; Mexico
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s22134905

Over time, inertial sensors have become an essential ally in the biomechanical field for current researchers. Their miniaturization coupled with their ever-improvement make them ideal for certain applications such as wireless monitoring or measurement of biomechanical variables. Therefore, in this article, a compendium of their use is presented to obtain biomechanical variables such as velocity, acceleration, and power, with a focus on combat sports such as included box, karate, and Taekwondo, among others. A thorough search has been made through a couple of databases, including MDPI, Elsevier, IEEE Publisher, and Taylor & Francis, to highlight some. Research data not older than 20 years have been collected, tabulated, and classified for interpretation. Finally, this work provides a broad view of the use of wearable devices and demonstrates the importance of using inertial sensors to obtain and complement biomechanical measurements on the upper extremities of the human body.