Reliability of Running Stability during Treadmill and Overground Running

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Science
• Human Movement Analysis

Background:

• Running stability, crucial for performance and injury prevention, is affected by internal and external factors.
• The reliability of running stability measurements and their applicability to real-world running conditions require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the intra- and inter-day reliability of running stability measurements.
• To compare running stability measurements across laboratory (treadmill) and outdoor overground conditions.

Main Methods:

• Competitive runners performed running trials on a treadmill and overground (indoors and outdoors).
• Running stability was quantified using gyroscope data from wearable sensors at four body locations (sternum, sacrum, tibia, foot).
• Intra- and inter-day reliability and agreement between conditions were statistically analyzed.

Main Results:

• Sacrum sensor placement yielded the highest reliability (ICC = 0.85–0.91), while tibia placement showed the lowest (ICC = 0.55–0.89).
• Treadmill running consistently resulted in lower stability values compared to overground running across all sensor locations.
• Overground indoor and outdoor conditions demonstrated high agreement in running stability measurements.

Conclusions:

• Running stability measurements exhibit moderate to excellent reliability, particularly with sacrum-mounted sensors.
• While treadmill measurements differ from overground, both laboratory and outdoor assessments provide a reliable basis for research.
• Findings support the use of wearable sensors for robust running stability analysis in diverse conditions.