Changes in Biomechanical Risk Factors for Injury Across Normalized Running Speeds in Healthy Collegiate Cross-Country...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Medicine
• Running Injury Prevention

Background:

• Cross-country runners face high in-season injury rates, possibly linked to biomechanical changes at faster running speeds.
• Understanding sex-based differences in running biomechanics is crucial for injury prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if running biomechanics associated with overuse knee and lower leg injuries differ between male and female collegiate cross-country runners across various speeds.
• To determine how changes in running speed affect lower extremity kinematics and kinetics in both sexes.

Main Methods:

• Sixteen collegiate cross-country runners (8 females) underwent 3D lower-extremity biomechanical analysis during running.
• Treadmill speeds were set at recovery, threshold, interval, and repetition paces relative to self-selected speed.
• Mixed-model analysis of variance and post hoc tests were used to analyze dependent variables.

Main Results:

• Peak rearfoot angle and rearfoot excursion significantly increased with higher treadmill speeds.
• Female runners exhibited a greater peak knee adduction angle compared to male runners across most conditions.
• Increases in running speed affected joint kinematics and kinetics similarly between male and female runners.

Conclusions:

• Similar biomechanical responses to increased running speed in both sexes suggest faster training paces may exacerbate rearfoot eversion.
• This could contribute to lower leg overuse injuries in collegiate cross-country runners.
• Further research into sex-specific injury mechanisms related to running speed is warranted.