Abstract
Objectives: This study sought to examine the biomechanical effects of an in-field sensor-based gait retraining program targeting footstrike pattern modification during level running, uphill running and downhill running.
Design: Quasi-experimental design.
Methods: Sixteen habitual rearfoot strikers were recruited. All participants underwent a baseline evaluation on an instrumented treadmill at their preferred running speeds on three slope settings. Participants were then instructed to modify their footstrike pattern from rearfoot to non-rearfoot strike with real-time audio biofeedback in an 8-session in-field gait retraining program. A reassessment was conducted to evaluate the post-training biomechanical effects. Footstrike pattern, footstrike angle, vertical instantaneous loading rate (VILR), stride length, cadence, and knee flexion angle at initial contact were measured and compared.
Results: No significant interaction was found between training and slope conditions for all tested variables. Significant main effects were observed for gait retraining (p-values ≤ 0.02) and slopes (p-values ≤ 0.01). After gait retraining, 75% of the participants modified their footstrike pattern during level running, but effects of footstrike pattern modification were inconsistent between slopes. During level running, participants exhibited a smaller footstrike angle (p ≤ 0.01), reduced VILR (p ≤ 0.01) and a larger knee flexion angle (p = 0.01). Similar effects were found during uphill running, together with a shorter stride length (p = 0.01) and an increased cadence (p ≤ 0.01). However, during downhill running, no significant change in VILR was found (p = 0.16), despite differences found in other biomechanical measurements (p-values = 0.02–0.05).
Conclusion: An 8-session in-field gait retraining program was effective in modifying footstrike pattern among runners, but discrepancies in VILR, stride length and cadence were found between slope conditions.
Design: Quasi-experimental design.
Methods: Sixteen habitual rearfoot strikers were recruited. All participants underwent a baseline evaluation on an instrumented treadmill at their preferred running speeds on three slope settings. Participants were then instructed to modify their footstrike pattern from rearfoot to non-rearfoot strike with real-time audio biofeedback in an 8-session in-field gait retraining program. A reassessment was conducted to evaluate the post-training biomechanical effects. Footstrike pattern, footstrike angle, vertical instantaneous loading rate (VILR), stride length, cadence, and knee flexion angle at initial contact were measured and compared.
Results: No significant interaction was found between training and slope conditions for all tested variables. Significant main effects were observed for gait retraining (p-values ≤ 0.02) and slopes (p-values ≤ 0.01). After gait retraining, 75% of the participants modified their footstrike pattern during level running, but effects of footstrike pattern modification were inconsistent between slopes. During level running, participants exhibited a smaller footstrike angle (p ≤ 0.01), reduced VILR (p ≤ 0.01) and a larger knee flexion angle (p = 0.01). Similar effects were found during uphill running, together with a shorter stride length (p = 0.01) and an increased cadence (p ≤ 0.01). However, during downhill running, no significant change in VILR was found (p = 0.16), despite differences found in other biomechanical measurements (p-values = 0.02–0.05).
Conclusion: An 8-session in-field gait retraining program was effective in modifying footstrike pattern among runners, but discrepancies in VILR, stride length and cadence were found between slope conditions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 30-35 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2021 |
User-Defined Keywords
- Biofeedback
- In-field
- Kinetics
- Training
- Running
- Slope
