Longitudinal study of three-dimensional pelvic behaviour in maximal sprint running

Abstract

The kinematics and kinetics of pelvis are associated with sprint performance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the longitudinal changes in the kinematics and kinetics of the pelvis in response to increasing sprinting velocity. Nine male sprinters performed 60 m regular sprints starting from a crouching start position, once a year. A three-dimensional motion analysis was performed to longitudinally investigate the changes in the pelvic movements and force exertion characteristics during sprinting. Sprinting velocity was significantly higher in the post-test than the pre-test. Step frequency was significantly higher in the post-test than the pre-test. The pelvic anterior/posterior tilt angle at stance leg touch-down, stance leg toe-off, and free leg touch-down were significantly smaller in the post-test than the pre-test. The thigh angle of the stance leg at stance leg toe-off and free leg touch-down were significantly smaller in the post-test than in the pre-test. The integrated contributory component of the lumbosacral joint torsion angular impulse during the stance phase was significantly greater in the post-test than the pre-test. This study provided new insights into the longitudinal evaluation of sprint performance in the transverse plane, focusing on pelvic movement and force exertion characteristics.