Reliability of Overground Running Measures from 2D Video Analyses in a Field Environment.

Lauralee Murray,Kim Hébert-Losier,C Beaven

doi:10.3390/sports7010008

Abstract

Two-dimensional running analyses are common in research and practice, and have been shown to be reliable when conducted on a treadmill. However, running is typically performed outdoors. Our aim was to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of two-dimensional analyses of overground running in an outdoor environment. Two raters independently evaluated 155 high-speed videos (240 Hz) of overground running from recreationally competitive runners on two occasions, seven days apart (test-retest study design). The reliability of foot-strike pattern (rear-foot, mid-foot, and fore-foot), foot-strike angle (°), and running speed (m/s) was assessed using weighted kappa (κ), percentage agreement, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), typical error (TE), and coefficient of variation (CV) statistics. Foot-strike pattern (agreement = 99.4%, κ = 0.96) and running speed (ICC = 0.98, TE = 0.09 m/s, CV = 2.1%) demonstrated excellent relative and absolute reliability. Foot-strike angle exhibited high relative reliability (ICC = 0.88), but suboptimal absolute reliability (TE = 2.5°, CV = 17.6%). Two-dimensional analyses of overground running outdoors were reliable for quantifying foot-strike pattern, foot-strike angle, and running speed, although foot-strike angle errors of 2.5° were typical. Foot-strike angle changes of less than 2.5° should be interpreted with caution in clinical settings, as they might simply reflect measurement errors.

Highlights

Running popularity is increasing, with over 5000 organized marathons and 2 million finishers per year since 2015, according to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians.The repetitive activation of the lower extremity muscles during running and the cyclical nature of this sporting activity has been linked to high injury rates [1,2], especially when combined with high vertical loading rates
A statistically significant difference in means was found between raters (p < 0.001) and occasions (p = 0.007) in terms of foot-strike angle measures, with one rater tending to rate higher than the other
The findings from this study were in agreement with our hypothesis and indicated that 2D video analysis of overground running performed outdoors was reliable for quantifying foot-strike pattern, foot-strike angle, and running speed, foot-strike angle errors of 2.5◦ were typical within and between raters

Summary

Introduction

With over 5000 organized marathons and 2 million finishers per year since 2015, according to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (http://www.arrs.net).The repetitive activation of the lower extremity muscles during running and the cyclical nature of this sporting activity has been linked to high injury rates [1,2], especially when combined with high vertical loading rates. Foot-strike pattern in particular has been associated with an increased likelihood of certain types of running injuries [4]. Despite the increasing scientific and clinical interest in foot-strike pattern and running gait retraining, there are relatively few studies investigating the reliability of foot-strike pattern [6,7,8,9]. These reliability studies have been conducted in a laboratory environment under controlled speed conditions. Video analysis while running on a treadmill can provide valuable insight into overground running kinematics in a clinical context [10], the use of Sports 2019, 7, 8; doi:10.3390/sports7010008 www.mdpi.com/journal/sports

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