Comparison of Spatiotemporal Parameters between Athletes and Non-Athletes at Upslope Running

Abstract

Upslope locomotion is challenging in our day to day life for which neuromuscular system have to work extraordinarily [1]. Despite increasing popularity of trail running, trekking, hiking that include various slope inclination, the majority of running biomechanics studies have only considered level running [2]. To understand the control of human locomotion better, physiological and biomechanical variables related to incremental slopes running during the gait cycle is imperative. Several studies have examined upslope running but the results are inconclusive [2-6]. Running at higher upslope inclination showed higher step frequency [2] and reduced stride length [6]. Conversely some studies examining various parameters did not observe any difference between level and uphill running at constant speed [4,7]. Previous studies comparing spatiotemporal characteristics in varying level of trained runners [5,8-10] indicated longer flight time and better adaptation in elite runners compared to amateur runners with increased inclination [5]. Conversely, a study showed no difference in adaptation of spatiotemporal characteristics between amateur and highly trained athletes while running upslope at given speed [2]. This leaves questions whether non-athletes adapt to different slopes gradient in the same way as trained athletes. We aimed to determine the effect of different slope gradients on spatiotemporal gait parameters between athletes and non-athletes during running on an instrumented treadmill.