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Comparative Analysis of Lower Limb Kinematics between the Initial and Terminal Phase of 5km Treadmill Running
Published on: July 17, 2020
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Lower limb mechanical asymmetry during repeated treadmill sprints
Olivier Girard1, Franck Brocherie2, Jean-Benoit Morin3
1Athlete Health and Performance Research Centre, Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar; ISSUL, Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Human Movement Science
|March 4, 2017
Summary
Running reveals limb mechanical imbalances, but these asymmetries do not worsen with fatigue during repeated sprints. Sprinting mechanics remain consistent between legs even as performance declines.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Sports Science
- Human Movement Analysis
Background:
- Stride mechanical imbalances between lower limbs can negatively impact athletic performance and increase injury risk.
- Understanding inter-limb asymmetries during high-intensity activities like sprinting is crucial for injury prevention and performance optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the time course and magnitude of asymmetries in running mechanical variables during repeated treadmill sprints.
- To investigate whether inter-limb differences in sprinting mechanics are exacerbated by fatigue.
Main Methods:
- Thirteen male athletes completed five 5-second sprints with 25-second recovery intervals on an instrumented treadmill.
- Continuous, step-by-step measurement of running kinetics and kinematics.
- Calculation of spring-mass characteristics and bilateral leg asymmetry (BLA%) for various mechanical variables.
Main Results:
- Significant bilateral leg asymmetry (BLA%) was observed, averaging approximately 12-13% for propulsive power and horizontal forces.
- Lower asymmetries were found for running velocity, resultant forces, and vertical forces (around 4%).
- Kinematic asymmetries ranged from 1.6% (swing time) to 9.0% (aerial time), with vertical and leg stiffness asymmetries at 6.4% and 7.6%, respectively.
- Despite a decrease in sprint distance with repetitions, no significant interaction between sprint number and leg side was found for any mechanical variable, indicating similar fatigue rates between limbs.
Conclusions:
- While inter-limb differences in running mechanics and spring-mass characteristics exist during repeated sprints, these asymmetries do not significantly increase with fatigue.
- The findings suggest that both lower limbs fatigue at a comparable rate during repeated treadmill sprints.
