Abstract
(1) Background: Research into foot strike patterns (FSP) has increased due to its potential influence on performance and injury reduction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in FSP throughout a maximal 800-m run using a conformable inertial measurement unit attached to the foot; (2) Methods: Twenty-one subjects (14 female, 7 male; 23.86 ± 4.25 y) completed a maximal 800-m run while foot strike characteristics were continually assessed. Two measures were assessed across 100-m intervals: the percentage of rearfoot strikes (FSP%RF), and foot strike angle (FSA). The level of significance was set to p ≤ 0.05; (3) Results: There were no differences in FSP%RF throughout the run. Significant differences were seen between curve and straight intervals for FSAAVE (F [1, 20] = 18.663, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.483); (4) Conclusions: Participants displayed decreased FSA, likely indicating increased plantarflexion, on the curve compared to straight intervals. The analyses of continuous variables, such as FSA, allow for the detection of subtle changes in foot strike characteristics, which is not possible with discrete classifiers, such as FSP%RF.
Highlights
The 800 meter (m) run presents challenges for runners both metabolically and biomechanically due to the unique pacing of the race, in which most elite personal best performances are accomplished by positive pacing or running faster in the first half of the race [1,2,3,4]
The present study directly evaluated foot strike pattern (FSP) during overground running with the use of a functional inertial measurement units (IMU), providing a measure of FSP throughout the entire 800 m run
Participants did show fluctuations in foot strike angle (FSA) on the curved portions of the track compared to the straights
Summary
An observational study of an 800 m race reported increases in ground contact time on the second lap of the race compared to the first, possibly indicative of a shift in foot strike pattern (FSP) [8]. A mid-foot (MF) strike, in which the middle of the foot hits the ground first; and a forefoot (FF) strike, in which the ball of the foot hits the ground first and the heel rarely, if ever, touches the ground [13] These FSPs exist along a continuum, and it can be difficult to classify all foot strikes into these three rigid categories [13,14]
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