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Subtalar and knee joint interaction during running at various stride lengths.
N Stergiou1, B T Bates, M J Kurz
1School of Health Physical Education and Recreation, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182-0216, USA. nstergiou@mail.unomaha.edu
The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
|November 20, 2003
Summary
Increasing stride length during running significantly elevates ground reaction impact forces (GRIF) and disrupts subtalar and knee joint coordination. This altered coordination may contribute to running-related injuries.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Sports Science
- Kinetics and Kinematics
Background:
- Proper coordination between subtalar pronation/supination and knee flexion/extension is crucial for attenuating ground reaction impact forces (GRIF) during running.
- A lack of this coordination may lead to various running-related injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of stride length on ground reaction impact forces (GRIF).
- To examine how alterations in stride length influence the coordination between subtalar and knee joint actions during running.
Main Methods:
- Six subjects ran at their self-selected pace with three different stride lengths: normal, understride, and overstride.
- Kinematic (sagittal, rear view) and kinetic (GRIF) data were collected.
- Subtalar/knee coordination was assessed using timing and relative velocity measures, analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests.
Main Results:
- Increased stride length led to significantly higher GRIF.
- Stride length alterations significantly increased the differences between rearfoot and knee angular velocities.
- A shift from a unimodal to a bimodal rearfoot angle curve was observed, attributed to increased ground impact.
Conclusions:
- Increased GRIF, resulting from changes in stride length, can disrupt the coordination between subtalar and knee joint movements.
- Altered joint coordination may be a contributing factor to running injuries.