Biomechanical Outcomes Due to Impact Loading in Runners While Looking Sideways

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Science
• Human Movement Analysis

Background:

• Stable gaze is crucial for optimizing visual input during running.
• Head acceleration stability is known when looking forward, but less is understood about lateral gaze.
• Potential adaptive strategies for maintaining head stability during sideways head turns in runners are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if runners maintain stable head accelerations when gazing at targets.
• To compare head acceleration stability when looking forward versus to the sides (45° and 90°).
• To identify adaptive biomechanical strategies employed during lateral gaze in running.

Main Methods:

• Biomechanical data collection from 13 runners.
• Gaze directed to visual targets in front, 45°, and 90° laterally in a random sequence.
• Primary outcome measures: vertical head and tibial accelerations; Secondary measures: vertical loading rate, footstrike angle, contact time, stride length, and stride rate.

Main Results:

• A significant reduction in vertical head accelerations was observed when gazing to the rightmost direction (P = .04).
• A significant increase in vertical tibial accelerations was found in the same rightmost direction (P = .02).
• No other significant differences were noted for the measured variables.

Conclusions:

• Runners exhibit altered head and tibial accelerations when gazing laterally.
• The tibia appears to accommodate increased shock absorption to maintain head stability during sideways visual tasks.
• This suggests a compensatory biomechanical strategy in the lower limb to stabilize the head during running with lateral gaze.