Comparative Analysis of Lower Limb Kinematics between the Initial and Terminal Phase of 5km Treadmill Running

Summary

This study investigated the biomechanical characteristics of the lower extremity kinematic variables between the initial and terminal phase of 5 km treadmill running. The lower-limb kinematic data of 10 runners were collected using a three-dimensional motion capture system on a treadmill at the initial phase (0.5 km) and the terminal phase (5 km), respectively.

Abstract

Running is beneficial for physical health, but it is also accompanied by many injuries. However, the main factors leading to running injury remain unexplained. This study investigated the effects of long running distance on lower-limb kinematic variables and the lower limb kinematic difference of between the initial (IR) and terminal phase (TR) of 5 km running was compared. Ten amateur runners ran on a treadmill at the speed of 10 km/h. Dynamic kinematic data was collected at the phase of IR (0.5 km) and TR (5 km), respectively. The peak angle, peak angular velocities, and range of motion were recorded in this experiment. The main results demonstrated the following: ankle eversion and knee abduction were increased at TR; ROMs of ankle and knee were increased in the frontal plane at TR than IR; a larger peak angular velocity of ankle dorsiflexion and hip interrotation were found in TR compared to IR. These changes during the long distance running may provide some specific details for exploring potential reasons of running injuries.

Introduction

Running is the most popular sport around the world. There are a large number of individuals that run and this number increases substantially every year¹. It has been suggested that participation in regular exercise including running can promote health, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and thus improve life expectancy^2,3,4. Despite the significant health benefits of running, the incidence of running injuries has increased from 25% to 83% over the years^5,6. There are some risks associat....

Protocol

Written informed consent was obtained from subjects and the testing procedures were approved by the university ethics committee. All participants were informed of the requirements and process of the trial.

1. Laboratory preparation

1. During calibration, switch off the lights and remove other possibly reflective objects. Ensure that eight cameras are appropriately placed and have a clear view without reflection.
2. Open the Vicon Nexus 1.8.5 program, and then initialize t.......

Discussion

This study compared the effect of long distance running on the biomechanical characteristics of the lower extremity in amateur runners. It was found that the peak angle of ankle eversion and knee abduction increased after 5 km running, which is consistent with a previous study¹⁷. Studies have shown that excessive ankle eversion and eversion velocity are important factors that increase the risk of ankle injuries^18,19. It is not surprising t.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
14 mm Diameter Passive Retro-reflective Marker	Oxford Metrics Ltd., Oxford, UK		n=22
Double Adhesive Tape	Oxford Metrics Ltd., Oxford, UK		For fixing markers to skin
Heart Rate	Garmin, HRM3-SS, China		Detection of fatigue state
Motion Tracking Cameras	Oxford Metrics Ltd., Oxford, UK		n= 8
T-Frame	Oxford Metrics Ltd., Oxford, UK		-
Treadmill	Smart Run,China		Subject run on the treadmill for all the process.
Valid Dongle	Oxford Metrics Ltd., Oxford, UK		Vicon Nexus 1.4.116
Vicon Datastation ADC	Oxford Metrics Ltd., Oxford, UK		-