START-TO-LOW-RUN: The effect of a 10 week instructed running program on duty factor to reduce loading magnitude

Adjusting running style can influence musculoskeletal loading, thereby altering injury risk. Duty factor, defined as the ratio of contact time to stride time, along with stride frequency, have been linked to peak loading in previous studies, although their specific influences remain unclear. This study elucidates how duty factor and stride frequency, both individually and in tandem, affect peak loading at an individualized constant speed, enhancing our understanding of how changes in running pattern affect musculoskeletal loading. Nineteen female novice runners ran on treadmill at 90% of their individually preferred running speed. Subjects were instructed to adjust duty factor and/or stride frequency according to a specific protocol. Ground reaction forces and motion capture data were recorded. Peak loading was assessed through maximal vertical ground reaction force, maximal resultant joint reaction forces, and maximal extensor and flexor moments of the lower limb joints using an inverse dynamics approach. Mixed-effects models were utilized to analyze the individual and combined effects of duty factor and stride frequency on peak loading. Increasing duty factor consistently reduced peak loading across all metrics except hip extensor and flexor moments, which showed an increase. In contrast, the relationship between stride frequency and peak loading varied across loading metrics. Increasing stride frequency reduced peak knee and hip extensor moments and had no effect on maximal vertical ground reaction force or peak joint reaction forces, but increased peak hip flexor moment. Surprisingly, when controlled for duty factor, stride frequency also became a determinant of maximal vertical ground reaction force and peak joint reaction forces, leading to unexpected increases in peak loading as stride frequency increased. This study establishes duty factor as the primary factor in modulating peak loading in running. Stride frequency may also affect peak loading, but its effect varies based on individual characteristics and the metric considered.

Running style is temporally defined by a duty factor and stride frequency and believed to be related to the loading experienced during ever step. However, the exact relationship between both temporal variables and loading magnitude is still unknown. We aimed to identify the relationship between a duty factor and stride frequency with external load measures, joint reaction forces and joint moments. Thirty-one healthy female recreational runners ran across a 25-m runway at a speed of 2.30 ± 0.05 m·s-1. Ground reaction forces and motion capture data were used to determine the maximal vertical ground reaction force, the vertical instantaneous loading rate, peak braking force, peak joint extension moments and peak joint reaction forces at the knee and the ankle. The habitual duty factor and stride frequency of runners did not correlate with each other. The duty factor was found to be a significant predictor of maximal vertical ground reaction force (R2 = 0.585), peak braking force (R2 = 0.153), peak knee extension moment (R2 = 0.149), ankle plantar flexion moment (R2 = 0.225) and peak joint reaction forces at the knee (R2 = 0.591) and the ankle (R2 = 0.592), but not of the vertical instantaneous loading rate. Stride frequency had no significant predictive value. In conclusion, the maximal loading and potential injury risk of female recreational runners running with high duty factors are lower compared to those of peers running with lower duty factors.

ObjectivesRecreational runners show a large interindividual variation in spatiotemporal characteristics. This research focused on slow runners and intended: (1) to document the variance in duty factor (DF) between runners in...

Objective: Amputation of the lower limb due to loss of part of the musculoskeletal structure reduces performance and increases injury during locomotion. The effect of various types of prosthetic feet has been analyzed in several studies during running. The purpose of this study was a biomechanical analysis of the influence of SACH and Dynamic-Response foot on several kinetic variables in the stance phase of running in individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation. Materials & Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 8 left foot transtibial amputees were included in this study using an available or easy sampling method. The target population was unilateral transtibial amputees who were able to run and the available population included left transtibial amputees who were referred to Kosar Rehabilitation Center in Tehran from 2008 to 2012. To adapt to the foot, each foot was used by the subjects for at least one week before the experiment. All subjects participated in 3 running evaluation sessions; 1 session involving the use of their own foot (familiarization session), 1 session involving the use of SACH foot, and 1 session involving the use of Dynamic foot. Only data from the 2 last sessions were used to compare both feet. Each subject runs in 12-meter walkway 3 times at a speed of 2.5 meters per second. The same running speed was chosen for the comparability of kinetic variables. Sport shoes were used to bring the test conditions closer to the actual running conditions. In each session, 3 successful trials were performed so that the foot was in full and perfect contact with the force plate. Kistler force plate and three-dimensional motion analysis Vicon system were used to collect kinetic and kinematic data, respectively. The motion and the force plate data were sampled simultaneously at 200 and 1000 Hz, respectively. The trajectories of the markers and analog data were filtered using the predicted mean square error adaptive filter in version 1.7 of the Vicon software package. The Kinetic variables were generated using the dynamic model of the Vicon Plug-in-Gait. The vertical ground reaction force was normalized for body weight. In the present study, 5 variables were selected for biomechanical analysis of feet. The maximum vertical ground reaction force, power, spring efficiency, ankle moments at the amputated leg, and the symmetry ratio (percentage) of the maximum vertical ground reaction force between the amputated leg and the intact leg were calculated. All values ​​in each trial were averaged for each subject with each foot. A paired t-test and a Wilcoxon test were used to analyze the data based on normality (P ≤0.05). Results: In examining the normality of the data distribution, the results showed that the data of maximum power absorption of the ankle with the SACH foot and the maximum power absorption of the hip with the Dynamic-Response foot did not have a normal distribution and other variables had a normal distribution. The results of paired t-test and Wilcoxon showed that Spring Efficiency and Maximum Plantar Flexion were significantly different between the SACH and Dynamic-Response feet (P ≤0.05). The Spring Efficiency was greater with Dynamic-Response foot than the SACH foot (P =0.05), although the Maximum Plantar Flexion with the SACH foot was greater than Dynamic-Response foot (P =0.05). While there is no statistical difference between the maximum vertical ground reaction force, maximum power absorption and generation in the ankle, maximum power absorption and generation in the knee, maximum power absorption and generation in the hip, maximum dorsiflexion moment, and the symmetry ratio (percentage) of the maximum vertical ground reaction force between the amputated leg and the intact leg. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the spring efficiency with Dynamic-Response foot was greater than SACH foot and closing to the spring efficiency of a normal foot. With this perspective, the Dynamic-Response foot has more natural performance than the SACH foot.

Muscle biopsy is a widely used technique in protocols aiming at studying physical capacities and fiber profiles of athletes, and muscular adaptations to exercise. Side effects of biopsy alone on physiological parameters have recently been pointed out, and we sought to determine whether a single biopsy had effects on the main stride mechanical parameters. Ten male runners performed 4-min runs before and after undergoing a biopsy of their left vastus lateralis muscle. Step frequency and duty factor were significantly higher after biopsy (2.86 +/- 0.14 vs. 2.82 +/- 0.15 Hz, and 0.77 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.75 +/- 0.05, respectively), whereas other factors were significantly lower: maximal vertical ground reaction force (1,601 +/- 240 vs. 1,643 +/- 230 N), loading rate (53.9 +/- 12.8 vs. 58.4 +/- 13.5 bw s(-1)), center of mass vertical displacement (0.056 +/- 0.008 vs. 0.058 +/- 0.008 m) and external mechanical work at each step (1.14 +/- 0.10 vs. 1.24 +/- 0.10 J kg(-1) step(-1)). These effects were observed on the left (biopsed) leg, but also on the right one for the external mechanical work, the duty factor and the maximal vertical ground reaction force, showing that a single biopsy had both ipsi- and contralateral effects on running mechanics.

The aim of this study was to examine the acute effects of endurance exercise on jumping and kicking performance in young soccer players. Twenty-one top-class young soccer players (16.1±0.2 years) performed a countermovement jump test and a maximal instep soccer kick test before and after running for 20 min on a treadmill at 80% of their individual maximum heart rate. Two force platforms were used to obtain the following parameters during the countermovement jump: jump height, maximum power, maximum power relative to body mass, maximum vertical ground reaction force, maximum vertical ground reaction force relative to body mass, and maximum vertical ground reaction force applied to each leg. Maximum vertical ground reaction force and maximum vertical ground reaction force relative to body mass applied to the support leg during the kicks were also calculated with a force platform. The kicking motion was recorded using a three-dimensional motion-capture system. Maximum velocity of the ball, maximum linear velocity of the toe, ankle, knee and hip, and linear velocity of the toe at ball contact during the kicks were calculated. Non-significant differences were found in the parameters measured during the countermovement jump and the maximal instep soccer kick test before and after running, suggesting that the jumping and kicking performances of top-class young soccer players were not significantly affected after 20 min treadmill running at 80% of their individual maximum heart rate.

ABSTRACTIn healthy individuals, maximum vertical ground reaction force (MVGRF) remains close to constant during constant velocity running, despite variation in stiffness of the surface underfoot. Because the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) possesses mechanoreceptors that influence recruitment of knee muscles, it may play a role in regulation of lower limb force output. This study was designed to examine the effect of recent ACL reconstruction on MVGRF in running. Seven patients who were 5–13 weeks post-ACL reconstruction and 7 healthy participants ran for 60 seconds in shoes modified with hard and with soft 1-cm outsoles. The MVGRF during running was measured for the ACL reconstructed and nonsurgical limbs of patients and limbs of healthy participants. The difference in MVGRF between running in hard and soft shoes was significantly greater in ACL reconstructed limbs than nonsurgical limbs (p = 0.003) and compared to limbs of healthy participants (p = 0.001). In contrast, a difference in MVGRF between shoes was not found between patients' nonsurgical limbs and those of healthy participants. A lack of mechanoreceptive feedback from the ACL graft may be among the factors explaining the difference between the ACL reconstructed limbs and the other two limb conditions.

Delving into the complexities of embodied cognition unveils the intertwined influence of mind, body, and environment. The connection of physical activity with cognition sparks a hypothesis linking motion and personality traits. Hence, this study explored whether personality traits could be linked to biomechanical variables characterizing running forms. To do so, 80 runners completed three randomized 50-m running-trials at 3.3, 4.2, and 5m/s during which their running biomechanics [ground contact time (tc), flight time (tf), duty factor (DF), step frequency (SF), leg stiffness (kleg), maximal vertical ground reaction force (Fmax), and maximal leg compression of the spring during stance (ΔL)] was evaluated. In addition, participants' personality traits were assessed through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test. The MBTI classifies personality traits into one of two possible categories along four axes: extraversion-introversion; sensing-intuition; thinking-feeling; and judging-perceiving. This exploratory study offers compelling evidence that personality traits, specifically sensing and intuition, are associated with distinct running biomechanics. Individuals classified as sensing demonstrated a more grounded running style characterized by prolonged tc, shorter tf, higher DF, and greater ΔL compared to intuition individuals (p≤0.02). Conversely, intuition runners exhibited a more dynamic and elastic running style with a shorter tc and higher kleg than their sensing counterparts (p≤0.02). Post-hoc tests revealed a significant difference in tc between intuition and sensing runners at all speeds (p≤0.02). According to the definition of each category provided by the MBTI, sensing individuals tend to focus on concrete facts and physical realities while intuition individuals emphasize abstract concepts and patterns of information. These results suggest that runners with sensing and intuition personality traits differ in their ability to use their lower limb structures as springs. Intuition runners appeared to rely more in the stretch-shortening cycle to energetically optimize their running style while sensing runners seemed to optimize running economy by promoting more forward progression than vertical oscillations. This study underscores the intriguing interplay between personality traits of individuals and their preferred movement patterns.

Recent observations demonstrate that a sizeable proportion of the recreational running population runs at rather slow speeds and does not always show a clear flight phase. This study determined the key biomechanical and physiological characteristics of this running pattern, i.e., grounded running (GR), and compared these characteristics with slow aerial running (SAR) and reference data on walking at the same slow running speed. Thirty male subjects performed instructed GR and SAR at 2.10 m·s on a treadmill. Ground reaction forces, tibial accelerations, and metabolic rate were measured to estimate general musculoskeletal loading (external power and maximal vertical ground reaction force), impact intensity (vertical instantaneous loading rate and tibial acceleration), and energy expenditure. More explicit measures of muscular loading (muscle stresses and peak eccentric power) were calculated based on a representative subsample, in which detailed kinematics and kinetics were recorded. We hypothesized that all measures would be lower for the GR condition. Subjects successfully altered their running pattern upon a simple instruction toward a GR pattern by increasing their duty factor from 41.5% to 51.2%. As hypothesized, impact intensity, general measures for musculoskeletal, and the more explicit measures for muscular loading decreased by up to 35.0%, 20.3%, and 34.0%, respectively, compared with SAR. Contrary to our hypothesis, metabolic rate showed an increase of 4.8%. Changing running style from SAR to GR reduces musculoskeletal loading without lowering the metabolic energy requirements. As such, GR might be beneficial for most runners as it has the potential to reduce the risk of running-related injuries while remaining a moderate to vigorous form of physical activity, contributing to fulfillment of the recommendations concerning physical activity and public health.

Immediate Effects of Single-Session Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Exercises on the Sit-to-Stand Strategy in Patients With Chronic Lumbar Spinal Disc Disease: A Preliminary Study

Impact forces at landing are related to valgus moments at the knee and potential ACL injury risk. Reliable tests that are portable and applicable to large scale screening are important to identify high risk individuals in order to target them for appropriate interventions. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate within session reliability of measures of single leg landing in a large group of female athletes. The hypothesis tested was that within session measures of force and center of pressure (COP) would be reliable during single leg landing. METHODS 45 high school and collegiate soccer players volunteered participation. Each performed a 50cm single leg hop and were instructed to balance for 10 seconds after the landing. A portable force platform (AccuPower, AMTI) was used with force and center of pressure (COP) data. Balance during the trial was assessed by calculating the standard deviation of each variable (COPML, COPAP, FML, FAP, FV). The range of COP excursion (ML and AP) was also calculated during the balance portion of each trial. Stability algorithms utilized sequential estimation during the initial 3 seconds after impact (Colby, 1999). The time of stability (medial/lateral (ML), anterior/posterior (AP) and vertical force (V)) derived from sequential estimation has been previously shown to be reliable when collecting 10 trials. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC[3, k]) were performed in SPSS for each variable. RESULTS Maximum vertical ground reaction force had high reliability on both the right (r = 0.823) and left side (r = 0.877). The maximum vertical ground reaction force for the three trials on the right side was 2.40BW, 2.41BW and 2.40BW, respectively. The average (right and left side) reliability for the standard deviation was: COPML (r = 0.831), COPAP(r = 0.651), FML(r = 0.824), FAP(r = 0.714) and FV(r = 0.741). Average COP medial/lateral excursion had a reliability of r = 0.736 and anterior/posterior excursion was r = 0.607. The stability time measurement that had an ICC over 0.6 was calculating the vertical force with sequential estimation (right, r = 0.787 and left r = 0.767). CONCLUSIONS Maximum vertical force and the standard deviation and excursion measures had high reliability during three trials in female athletes. Calculation of stability time from medial/lateral and anterior/posterior force was less reliable. Calculation of a stability time from sequential estimation based on the vertical component was improved compared to the use of M/L and A/P.

The effect of choice reaction task on impact of single-leg landing

Effect of bench height on sit-to-stand in children without disabilities and children with cerebral palsy

During an unpredictable side-cut, this study examined how a sport-specific neuromuscular training program (NMTP) influenced electromyography responses in the lower limb posterior muscles, leg movement angles, maximum vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), and the rate of force development of vGRF. Thirty-eight adult female recreational hockey players were randomly allocated into an intervention group (INT) or a control group (CON). Before beginning training or matches, the INT carried out the NMTP three times per week for eight weeks, whereas the CON performed their routine warm-up. A 45° sidecut (dominant leg only) was performed at baseline and after eight-weeks and recorded with a motion capture system. The effect of group and time, and their interaction, was investigated using a mixed-design ANOVA. After landing, the participants in the INT had greater activation of their gastrocnemius lateralis, gastrocnemius medialis, and gluteus maximus muscles than those in the CON. INT participants showed significantly lower amounts of maximum knee abduction and knee excursion, while there was an increase in these variables for the CON. At week eight, the vGRF RFD decreased for the INT but increased for the CON. Although non-significant, the overall muscle activity showed an increasing trend for the INT when it came to supervised NMTP for eight weeks compared to the effect seen in the CON. This activity caused greater alterations in the motion and forces of the lower body for the INT than the CON.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to provide biomechanical basis data for the analysis of the maximum vertical ground reaction force, the maximum plantar pressure, the average plantar pressure, and the contact area according to the type of the insole through the insole insertion type foot pressure gauge. Method: In the treadmill, the slope was set at 10%, the first type A was worn at a walking speed of 3.5 km / h, and then walking was carried out using B, C, and D types. Data from 20 boots with consistent walking were extracted and plantar pressure data were collected and analyzed. Results: Functional insole was more effective than conventional insole for maximum vertical ground reaction force, maximum plantar pressure, average plantar pressure, and contact area at 10% of treadmill ramps. Conclusion: In this study, D-type insole supports the cushion in the middle part and supports the heel cup with hardness in the hind part, so that it is the most effective insole by lowering the plantar pressure and dispersing it more widely.