PCA of Running Biomechanics after 5 km between Novice and Experienced Runners

Increased running experience appears to lower the risk of running-related injuries, but the mechanisms underlying this are unknown. Studying the biomechanics of runners with different running experiences before and after long-distance running can improve our understanding of the relationship between faulty running mechanics and injury. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if there were any differences in lower-limb biomechanics between runners after a 5 km run. Biomechanical data were collected from 15 novice and 15 experienced runners. Principal component analysis (PCA) with single-component reconstruction was used to identify variations in running biomechanics across the gait waveforms. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted to explore the effects of runner and a 5 km run. Significant runner group differences were found for the kinematics and kinetics of lower-limb joints and ground reaction force (GRF) with respect to the magnitude across the stance phase. We found that novice runners exhibited greater changes in joint angles, joint moments, and GRFs than experienced runners regardless of the prolonged running session, and those patterns may relate to lower-limb injuries. The results of this study suggest that the PCA approach can provide unique insight into running biomechanics and injury mechanisms. The findings from the study could potentially guide training program developments and injury prevention protocols for runners with different running experiences.