Stride-to-stride variability while prolonged running on a treadmill and over-ground /

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Student Theses

2024

IQBAL, Zaheen Ahmed

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

Long-distance running offers both health benefits and an increased risk of running-related injuries due to the strain on joints. Understanding how the body responds to different running environments is crucial for preventing injuries in long-distance runners. Due to the limitations of traditional gait monitoring systems there is a research gap in long-term gait monitoring in natural settings to understand how gait patterns changes with duration and surface of running and runner's body response different demands of running environments and surfaces during prolonged running outside controlled environments in laboratories. This doctoral thesis focuses on analyzing the stride-to-stride variability during prolonged running, specifically investigating how stride variability changes with running duration and surface type (treadmill vs. overground) during sagittal plane motions using inertial measurement units. Eleven runners (2 females) were instructed to run on treadmill and over-ground track and 7 inertial measurement units (APDM Inc., Portland, OR, USA) were used to measure stride time and lower limb joint angles throughout 30-min running at the preferred speed. Coefficient of variation was used to calculate variability of stride time and lower limb joint angles in different phases of gait cycle. Coordination and its variability were calculated using continuous relative phase for knee-hip, ankle-knee, and ankle-hip joint couplings of the dominant side in overall gait cycle as well as stance and swing phases. A two-way 2 x 2 repeated-measures mixed-design analysis of variance was used to compare the mean and variability of all the parameters between initial and final 5 minutes of running and the two running surfaces (treadmill and over-ground) with statistical significance set at p less than 0.05. Post-hoc analysis was conducted using the Bonferroni correction. Key results indicate no significant differences in stride time or its variability between two running durations or surfaces. However, higher variability was observed in different joint angles during over-ground running and in the initial duration of the run, aligning with the study's hypothesis. Analysis of lower limb joint coordination revealed significant differences in joint coordination at specific gait phases, with increased coordination observed in the final duration of running and during fatigue-induced conditions. There were no significant differences in coordination variability between two running durations or surfaces. In conclusion, this study underscores the significance of investigating gait organization and control during long-distance running in natural settings outside the laboratory. The comprehensive approach taken in this research provides valuable insights into the interaction between the body and the environment in explaining variations in spatial-temporal gait parameters. This study provides insights into gait motor control under fatigue and tailor interventions for injury prevention and performance improvement for various groups of runners. This study also supports the potential for future research to utilize inertial measurement units in outdoor settings for long-term data collection on running biomechanics, with larger-scale studies involving diverse populations and running conditions to enhance the understanding of human movement complexities

LG51.H43 Dr 2024eb Iqbalza

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/xnOhCKaY