Can the Newly Learnt Gait Pattern after Running Retraining be Translated to Untrained Conditions?

Abstract

Running retraining is reported to be effective in impact loading control and injury prevention. During running retraining, biomechanics metrics, such as tibial shock, from one side of the body is usually provided while the participant is running at a controlled test speed. Whether participants are able to translate the newly learnt gait pattern to untrained conditions (e.g., untrained side of the limb and untrained speeds) remains unanswered. PURPOSE: To compare the tibial shock of the participants’ untrained limb and at untrained running speeds before and after a course of running retraining. METHODS: Ten runners underwent a running retraining program as described by Crowell & Davis (2011). Before and after the program, their tibial shock from both limbs were measured using wireless accelerometers when they were running at the training speed (TS), 110% of TS and 90% of TS. The peak tibial shock during the last 20 footfalls in each 3-minute trial were extracted for analyses. RESULTS: The effect of gait retraining did not interact with test speeds (p=0.699) but it interacted with limb side (p<0.05). We found a reduction in the tibial shock on the trained limb at all test speeds (p=0.001-0.008; Figure 1). However, we only observed a trend of tibial shock reduction on the untrained side (p=0.074-0.098; Figure 1). CONCLUSIONS: The current running retraining protocol may not be fully optimized as the newly learnt gait pattern may not be completely translated to untrained conditions.Figure 1: Peak tibial shock before and after running retraining at three speedsTS: Training speed* Significantly reduced compared to pre-training test