Abstract
Upper trunk (UT) kinematics in runners and its relationship with lower limbs has been poorly investigated, although it is acknowledged that dynamic stability of the upper body is a primary objective of human locomotion. This study aimed to explore UT kinematics according to gender and level of training and in relation to lower limb run patterns described through the presence of: overstriding, crossover, excessive protonation, and pelvic drop. Lower body variables chosen to describe running pattern were those that are frequently modified during gait-retraining with the goal of reducing injury risk. Eighty-seven recreational runners (28 females and 59 males, age 41 ± 10 years) performed a one minute run test on a treadmill at self-selected speed. UT kinematics was measured using an inertial measurement unit, while run features were assessed through an optoelectronic system and video analysis. Accelerations and root-mean-square on mediolateral and anteroposterior axes, normalized using the vertical component of the acceleration, were estimated to describe UT stability. Results showed no significant differences in the normalized UT acceleration root-mean-square according to gender and level of training as well as according to the presence of overstriding, crossover, and excessive protonation. The only running strategy studied in this work that showed a significant relationship with UT stability was the presence of excessive pelvic drop. The latter was significantly associated (p=0.020) to a decrease in the normalized acceleration root-mean-square along the mediolateral direction. Although the excessive pelvic drop seemed to have a positive effect in stabilizing the upper body, concerns remain on the effect of a poor control of the pelvis on the biomechanics of lower limbs. Results obtained confirm the hypothesis that the lower body is able to respond to varying impact load conditions to maintain UT stability.
Highlights
Running is one of the most popular recreational physical activities in the world, as it provides substantial health benefits at minimal expense [1]
Upper body biomechanics in runners has been poorly investigated, and reported measurements are mostly derived from triaxial accelerometers placed on the lower trunk, in the attempt to Journal of Healthcare Engineering describe the center of mass kinematics [1, 10]
To the best of the authors knowledge, no study directly investigated the relationship between acceleration of the upper trunk (UT) and gender, level of training, and lower limb and pelvis run pattern, described through the footstrike pattern, presence of overstriding, crossover, excessive protonation (EPR), and pelvic drop (EPD), which have already been demonstrated to influence intensities and direction of the ground reaction force (GRF), shock transmission, and runningrelated injuries [7, 18,19,20, 25,26,27,28]. is study aims to fill this gap in the literature by characterizing UT kinematics by exploring differences in the UT kinematics according to gender and level of training and in relation to lower limb run pattern. e proposed analysis will be conducted by using an Inertial measurement unit (IMU) placed on the UT
Summary
Running is one of the most popular recreational physical activities in the world, as it provides substantial health benefits at minimal expense [1]. Level and number of repetition of this shock on musculoskeletal structures contribute to modify chronic running injury risks [1] Even if it is recognized as a role of lower body kinematics in modulated shock transmission to the upper body [1, 15, 16] a thorough investigation on this topic have not been undertaken in running gait yet. To the best of the authors knowledge, no study directly investigated the relationship between acceleration of the UT and gender, level of training, and lower limb and pelvis run pattern, described through the footstrike pattern, presence of overstriding, crossover, excessive protonation (EPR), and pelvic drop (EPD), which have already been demonstrated to influence intensities and direction of the GRF, shock transmission, and runningrelated injuries [7, 18,19,20, 25,26,27,28]. To the best of the authors knowledge, no study directly investigated the relationship between acceleration of the UT and gender, level of training, and lower limb and pelvis run pattern, described through the footstrike pattern, presence of overstriding, crossover, excessive protonation (EPR), and pelvic drop (EPD), which have already been demonstrated to influence intensities and direction of the GRF, shock transmission, and runningrelated injuries [7, 18,19,20, 25,26,27,28]. is study aims to fill this gap in the literature by characterizing UT kinematics by exploring differences in the UT kinematics according to gender and level of training and in relation to lower limb run pattern. e proposed analysis will be conducted by using an IMU placed on the UT
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