Elena Caruthers, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | Otterbein University
Westerville, OH, UNITED STATES
An expert in engineering and women in STEM.
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Biography
Elena Caruthers is Assistant Professor in Engineering.
Areas of Expertise (2)
Women in STEM
Engineering
Accomplishments (10)
The Ohio State University Future Faculty Program Fellow
9/15-8/16
Second Place Engineering Oral Presenter at Hayes Graduate Research Forum
2/14
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
9/13-9/17
Hope College Engineering Department Blok-Williams Graduate Study Award
4/12
Hope College Sigma Xi Award for outstanding research
4/12
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant Recipient
3/11-3/12
Hope College Pew Society (graduate school organization)
4/11-4/12
Hope College John H. Kleinheksel Award for Mathematics
4/09
Hope College Presidential Scholarship
8/08-5/12
Hope College Distinguished Artist Award
8/08-5/12
Education (3)
The Ohio State University: Ph.D. 2017
The Ohio State University: M.S. 2015
Hope College: B.S. 2012
Affiliations (4)
- American Society for Engineering Education
- American Society of Biomechanics
- Phi Beta Kappa Society
- Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society
Links (1)
Selected Articles (2)
Muscle Forces and Their Contributions to Vertical and Horizontal Acceleration of the Center of Mass During Sit-to-Stand Transfer in Young, Healthy Adults
Journal of Applied Biomechanics
Elena Caruthers et al.
2016 Sit-to-stand transfer is a common task that is challenging for older adults and others with musculoskeletal impairments. Associated joint torques and muscle activations have been analyzed two-dimensionally, neglecting possible three-dimensional (3D) compensatory movements in those who struggle with sit-to-stand transfer. Furthermore, how muscles accelerate an individual up and off the chair remains unclear; such knowledge could inform rehabilitation strategies. We examined muscle forces, muscleinduced accelerations, and interlimb muscle force differences during sit-to-stand transfer in young, healthy adults. Dynamic simulations were created using a custom 3D musculoskeletal model; static optimization and induced acceleration analysis were used to determine muscle forces and their induced accelerations, respectively. The gluteus maximus generated the largest force (2009.07 ± 277.31 N) and was a main contributor to forward acceleration of the center of mass (COM) (0.62 ± 0.18 m/s2), while the quadriceps opposed it. The soleus was a main contributor to upward (2.56 ± 0.74 m/s2) and forward acceleration of the COM (0.62 ± 0.33 m/s2). Interlimb muscle force differences were observed, demonstrating lower limb symmetry cannot be assumed during this task, even in healthy adults. These findings establish a baseline from which deficits and compensatory strategies in relevant populations (eg, elderly, osteoarthritis) can be identified.
Individual Muscle Forces during Sit to Stand Transfer
Knowledge Bank
Elena Caruthers
2014 Due to weakened muscles or diseased joints, more than 2 million Americans over the age of 64 have difficulty accomplishing a sit-to-stand (STS) transfer independently. Previous studies have examined joint torques and muscle activations during STS by using motion capture or rigid body models. However, individual muscle forces during STS have yet to be investigated, and such knowledge will potentially inform rehabilitation strategies for patients with weakened muscles to improve performance with STS transfer. The first step toward accomplishing this goal was to examine individual muscle forces as well as inter-limb differences in muscle forces during STS transfer in a young, healthy population. Subject-specific simulations were created for each subject’s STS trial with a custom three-dimensional musculoskeletal model. Static optimization was implemented to estimate individual muscle forces. We found that vastus lateralis generated the largest force, reaching its peak value after maximum hip flexion occurred, while the medial gastrocnemius generated the smallest force out of all the muscles examined throughout STS once maximum hip flexion was reached. Inter-limb differences, quantified as a percent difference, showed high variability between subjects as the standard deviation values were over 100% for some of the muscles examined across the phases of STS. Understanding individual muscle forces as well as symmetry of muscle forces between legs during STS transfer in healthy subjects is the first step to analyzing muscle function and weakness in patients with pathologic conditions such as osteoarthritis and may potentially inform rehabilitation strategies that could improve these patients’ functional performance with this task.
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