Ankle-Knee Initial Contact Angle and Latency to Maximum Angle are Affected by Prolonged Run

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Medicine
• Running Science

Background:

• Initial contact and midstance angles are crucial for assessing running injury risk.
• Limited research exists on how prolonged running in different footwear affects these specific kinematic parameters and their interrelationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in lower extremity kinematics during prolonged running.
• To examine the relationship between initial contact and midstance kinematic parameters.
• To compare these effects across maximalist, habitual, and minimalist footwear.

Main Methods:

• Twelve recreational runners participated in three 31-minute self-paced running sessions.
• Participants wore maximalist, habitual, and minimalist shoes.
• Lower extremity kinematics (ankle and knee joints, frontal and sagittal planes) were captured using motion capture technology every five minutes.

Main Results:

• No significant kinematic differences were found between the three footwear conditions.
• Initial contact rearfoot inversion and knee flexion increased over the running duration.
• The time to reach maximum joint angles (Tmax) for dorsiflexion, rearfoot eversion, and knee flexion also increased over time.

Conclusions:

• Footwear type (maximalist, habitual, minimalist) did not significantly alter ankle and knee joint kinematics during a self-paced run.
• Running duration, not footwear, influenced changes in initial contact and midstance joint angles.
• The relationship between initial contact and midstance parameters, specifically Tmax, evolved during the prolonged run.