scholarly journals Foot speed, foot-strike and footwear: linking gait mechanics and running ground reaction forces

2014 ◽  
Vol 217 (12) ◽  
pp. 2037-2040 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. P. Clark ◽  
L. J. Ryan ◽  
P. G. Weyand
Keyword(s):  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Foot Strike ◽  
Gait Mechanics ◽  
Reaction Forces

scholarly journals Running ground reaction forces across footwear conditions are predicted from the motion of two body mass components

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 1315-1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew B. Udofa ◽  
Kenneth P. Clark ◽  
Laurence J. Ryan ◽  
Peter G. Weyand
Keyword(s):  
Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Vertical Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Time Patterns ◽  
Foot Strike ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Vertical Ground ◽  
Force Time

Although running shoes alter foot-ground reaction forces, particularly during impact, how they do so is incompletely understood. Here, we hypothesized that footwear effects on running ground reaction force-time patterns can be accurately predicted from the motion of two components of the body’s mass (mb): the contacting lower-limb (m1 = 0.08mb) and the remainder (m2 = 0.92mb). Simultaneous motion and vertical ground reaction force-time data were acquired at 1,000 Hz from eight uninstructed subjects running on a force-instrumented treadmill at 4.0 and 7.0 m/s under four footwear conditions: barefoot, minimal sole, thin sole, and thick sole. Vertical ground reaction force-time patterns were generated from the two-mass model using body mass and footfall-specific measures of contact time, aerial time, and lower-limb impact deceleration. Model force-time patterns generated using the empirical inputs acquired for each footfall matched the measured patterns closely across the four footwear conditions at both protocol speeds ( r2 = 0.96 ± 0.004; root mean squared error  = 0.17 ± 0.01 body-weight units; n = 275 total footfalls). Foot landing angles (θF) were inversely related to footwear thickness; more positive or plantar-flexed landing angles coincided with longer-impact durations and force-time patterns lacking distinct rising-edge force peaks. Our results support three conclusions: 1) running ground reaction force-time patterns across footwear conditions can be accurately predicted using our two-mass, two-impulse model, 2) impact forces, regardless of foot strike mechanics, can be accurately quantified from lower-limb motion and a fixed anatomical mass (0.08mb), and 3) runners maintain similar loading rates (ΔFvertical/Δtime) across footwear conditions by altering foot strike angle to regulate the duration of impact. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here, we validate a two-mass, two-impulse model of running vertical ground reaction forces across four footwear thickness conditions (barefoot, minimal, thin, thick). Our model allows the impact portion of the impulse to be extracted from measured total ground reaction force-time patterns using motion data from the ankle. The gait adjustments observed across footwear conditions revealed that runners maintained similar loading rates across footwear conditions by altering foot strike angles to regulate the duration of impact.

Obesity: Effects on Gait in an Osteoarthritic Population

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P. Messier ◽  
Walter H. Ettinger ◽  
Thomas E. Doyle ◽  
Timothy Morgan ◽  
Margaret K. James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Vertical Force ◽  
Kinematic Data ◽  
Knee Oa ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Gait Mechanics ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Walking Velocity

The purpose of our study was to examine the association between obesity and gait mechanics in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Subjects were 101 older adults (25 males and 76 females) with knee OA. High-speed video analysis and a force platform were used to record sagittal view lower extremity kinematic data and ground reaction forces. Increased body mass index (BMI) was significantly related to both decreases in walking velocity and knee maximum extension. There were no significant relationships between BMI and any of the hip or ankle kinematic variables. BMI was directly related to vertical force minimum and maximum values, vertical impulse, and loading rate. Increases in braking and propulsive forces were significantly correlated with increased BMI. Maximum medially and laterally directed ground reaction forces were positively correlated with BMI. Our results suggests that, in subjects with knee OA, obesity is associated with an alteration in gait.

scholarly journals Adaptation of Running Biomechanics to Repeated Barefoot Running: A Randomized Controlled Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1975-1983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Hollander ◽  
Dominik Liebl ◽  
Stephanie Meining ◽  
Klaus Mattes ◽  
Steffen Willwacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Passive Control ◽  
Loading Rate ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Ground Contact ◽  
Barefoot Running ◽  
Loading Rates ◽  
Foot Strike ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Running Biomechanics

Background: Previous studies have shown that changing acutely from shod to barefoot running induces several changes to running biomechanics, such as altered ankle kinematics, reduced ground-reaction forces, and reduced loading rates. However, uncertainty exists whether these effects still exist after a short period of barefoot running habituation. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose was to investigate the effects of a habituation to barefoot versus shod running on running biomechanics. It was hypothesized that a habituation to barefoot running would induce different adaptations of running kinetics and kinematics as compared with a habituation to cushioned footwear running or no habituation. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Young, physically active adults without experience in barefoot running were randomly allocated to a barefoot habituation group, a cushioned footwear group, or a passive control group. The 8-week intervention in the barefoot and footwear groups consisted of 15 minutes of treadmill running at 70% of VO2 max (maximal oxygen consumption) velocity per weekly session in the allocated footwear. Before and after the intervention period, a 3-dimensional biomechanical analysis for barefoot and shod running was conducted on an instrumented treadmill. The passive control group did not receive any intervention but was also tested prior to and after 8 weeks. Pre- to posttest changes in kinematics, kinetics, and spatiotemporal parameters were then analyzed with a mixed effects model. Results: Of the 60 included participants (51.7% female; mean ± SD age, 25.4 ± 3.3 years; body mass index, 22.6 ± 2.1 kg·m-2), 53 completed the study (19 in the barefoot habituation group, 18 in the shod habituation group, and 16 in the passive control group). Acutely, running barefoot versus shod influenced foot strike index and ankle, foot, and knee angles at ground contact ( P < .001), as well as vertical average loading rate ( P = .003), peak force ( P < .001), contact time ( P < .001), flight time ( P < .001), step length ( P < .001), and cadence ( P < .001). No differences were found for average force ( P = .391). After the barefoot habituation period, participants exhibited more anterior foot placement ( P = .006) when running barefoot, while no changes were observed in the footwear condition. Furthermore, barefoot habituation increased the vertical average loading rates in both conditions (barefoot, P = .01; shod, P = .003) and average vertical ground-reaction forces for shod running ( P = .039). All other outcomes (ankle, foot, and knee angles at ground contact and flight time, contact time, cadence, and peak forces) did not change significantly after the 8-week habituation. Conclusion: Changing acutely from shod to barefoot running in a habitually shod population increased the foot strike index and reduced ground-reaction force and loading rates. After the habituation to barefoot running, the foot strike index was further increased, while the force and average loading rates also increased as compared with the acute barefoot running situation. The increased average loading rate is contradictory to other studies on acute adaptations of barefoot running. Clinical Relevance: A habituation to barefoot running led to increased vertical average loading rates. This finding was unexpected and questions the generalizability of acute adaptations to long-term barefoot running. Sports medicine professionals should consider these adaptations in their recommendations regarding barefoot running as a possible measure for running injury prevention. Registration: DRKS00011073 (German Clinical Trial Register).

scholarly journals A general relationship links gait mechanics and running ground reaction forces

2016 ◽  
Vol 220 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth P. Clark ◽  
Laurence J. Ryan ◽  
Peter G. Weyand
Keyword(s):  
General Relationship ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Gait Mechanics ◽  
Reaction Forces

scholarly journals The Effects of Posture on the Three-Dimensional Gait Mechanics of Human Walking in Comparison to Bipedal Chimpanzees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell T. Johnson ◽  
Matthew C. O'Neill ◽  
Brian R. Umberger
Keyword(s):  
Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Bipedal Walking ◽  
Human Walking ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Vertical Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Gait Mechanics ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Vertical Ground

Humans walk with an upright posture on extended limbs during stance and with a double-peaked vertical ground reaction force. Our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, are facultative bipeds that walk with a crouched posture on flexed, abducted hind limbs and with a single-peaked vertical ground reaction force. Differences in human and bipedal chimpanzee three-dimensional kinematics have been well quantified; however, it is unclear what the independent effects of using a crouched posture are on three-dimensional gait mechanics for humans, and how they compare with chimpanzees. Understanding the relationships between posture and gait mechanics, with known differences in morphology between species, can help researchers better interpret the effects of trait evolution on bipedal walking. We quantified pelvis and lower limb three-dimensional kinematics and ground reaction forces as humans adopted a series of upright and crouched postures and compared them with data from bipedal chimpanzee walking. Human crouched posture gait mechanics were more similar to bipedal chimpanzee gait than normal human walking, especially in sagittal plane hip and knee angles. However, there were persistent differences between species, as humans walked with less transverse plane pelvis rotation, less hip abduction, and greater peak horizontal ground reaction force in late stance than chimpanzees. Our results suggest that human crouched posture walking reproduces only a small subset of the characteristics of three-dimensional kinematics and ground reaction forces of chimpanzee walking, with the remaining differences likely due in large part to the distinct musculoskeletal morphologies of humans and chimpanzees.

ANKLE JOINT MOMENTS IN DIFFERENT FOOT STRIKE METHODS DURING STAIR DESCENT

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (07) ◽  
pp. 1940031
Author(s):  
HYEONG MIN JEON ◽  
EUI BUM CHOI ◽  
JAE HOON HEO ◽  
GWANG MOON EOM
Keyword(s):  
Ankle Joint ◽  
Plantar Flexion ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Joint Moments ◽  
Moment Arms ◽  
Stair Descent ◽  
Foot Strike ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Weight Acceptance

The purpose of this study was to compare the ankle joint moments in different foot strike patterns during stair descent and to find a better strategy. Methods: Twenty young subjects participated in this study. Subjects performed two trials of descending stairs in rearfoot strike (RFS) and forefoot strike (FFS) strategies. Kinematic and kinetic data were measured by a motion capture system and force plates. Ankle joint moments, ground reaction forces, and moment arms in three planes of motion were calculated from the measured data. The root-mean-squared means of ankle joint moments, ground reaction forces, and moment arms were compared between different foot strike patterns for each phase of stair descent (weight acceptance, forward continuance, and controlled lowering). Results: In the weight acceptance phase, FFS showed greater ankle joint moments than RFS in all three (dorsi/plantar-flexion, inversion/eversion, and internal/external rotation) directions ([Formula: see text]). In the forward continuance phase, FFS showed greater dorsi/plantar moments than RFS ([Formula: see text]). In controlled lowering phase, FFS showed smaller dorsi/plantar moments than RFS ([Formula: see text]). Discussion: The greater ankle joint moments of FFS in the weight acceptance phase were influenced by both the greater GRF magnitudes and greater moment arms. The greater dorsi/plantar moments of FFS in the forward continuance phase and the smaller dorsi/plantar moment of FFS in the controlled lowering phase were dominated by the greater moment arm and the smaller ground reaction force, respectively. RFS strategy resulted in smaller ankle joint moments in the majority of stair descent phases (weight acceptance and forward continuance), therefore, RFS would be a better strategy than FFS for stair descent in terms of ankle joint load.

The Effect of Breathing Pattern and Heel Strike Pattern on Peak Ground Reaction Force at Initial Contact During Walking

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-47
Author(s):  
Paolo Sanzo ◽  
Cassandra Felice ◽  
Carlos Zerpa
Keyword(s):  
Breathing Pattern ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Heel Strike ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Heel Contact ◽  
Foot Strike ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Breathing Retraining

It has been proposed that during running, the greatest force occurs when the foot strikes the ground and simultaneously exhalation occurs at initial heel contact. As a result, breathing retraining has been used as a method to prevent lower extremity overuse injuries by modifying an individual's breathing pattern and consequently, reducing ground reaction forces. There is, however, little research exploring this link during walking. This study explored the interaction effect between the phase of respiration and foot strike pattern on measures of ground reaction forces while walking. The study also examined the correlation between the phase of respiration and peak forces. The research findings did not support the concept of breathing synchronization with higher ground reaction forces when exhalation occurred at heel strike during walking. The biomechanics of walking are very different than running and, therefore, the utility of breathing retraining may not be supported as has been proposed for running.

scholarly journals Biomechanical Description of Zapateado Technique in Flamenco

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2905
Author(s):  
Wanda Forczek-Karkosz ◽  
Robert Michnik ◽  
Katarzyna Nowakowska-Lipiec ◽  
Alfonso Vargas-Macias ◽  
Irene Baena-Chicón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pelvic Tilt ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Vertical Component ◽  
Biomechanical Analysis ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Anterior Pelvic Tilt ◽  
Foot Strike ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Practical Information ◽  
Different Levels

The main purpose of this study was to identify a dancer’s body alignment while performing flamenco footwork to provide a detailed description that could be used by flamenco practitioners: teachers, instructors and students of different levels of advancement. The zapateado technique performed by a professional flamenco dancer was analyzed. The biomechanical analysis was based on 30 cycles composed of six repeating sequences of strikes. Kinematic recordings were performed using a Vicon system, while the measurement of the ground reaction forces (GRF) was accomplished with a Kistler force plate. The following parameters were analyzed: the time of each foot strike, the maximal value of the vertical component of GRF normalized to body weight (BW) for subsequent footwork steps, the impulse of the GRF and the kinematics of pelvis and lower limb joints, and an exemplary waveform view of the sound of footwork strikes was shown. The average values of the vertical component of GRF ranged between 0.6 and 2.7 BW. The maximal anterior pelvic tilt was 29°, with a 6° range of motion (RoM). This mobility was accompanied by 20° hip RoM and by ~40° knee RoM throughout flexion. The conclusions provide practical information that a teacher and flamenco student should receive.

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