Characteristics of ground reaction force and lower limb kinematics during running on self-driven treadmill equipped with curve-shaped bed in sagittal plane

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine Vol. 64; no. 3; pp. 333 - 344
• Main Authors: Kashiwagi, Yu, Hirano, Tomoya, Yamagishi, Michio, Hakamada, Noriko, Kaneko, Ken-Ichi, Funato, Kazuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine 01.01.2015
• Subjects: ground reaction force; running; running injury; treadmill
• ISSN: 0039-906X; 1881-4751
• DOI: 10.7600/jspfsm.64.333

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of running on self-driven treadmill equipped with curve-shaped bed (TM) from kinematics and kinetics variables by comparing with those obtained on overground running (OG). Eight healthy male subjects run on TM and OG under constant speed condition of 3m/s. Thirty five reflective anatomical landmarkers were attached on the subject according to Plug-in-gait model. Kinematics and kinetics data were recorded during stance phase using VICON MX (200fps) motion capture system and Kistler force plate (1kHz). Running spatio-temporal parameters such as stride length /stride frequency, lower limb joint kinematics and ground reaction force were compared between TM and OG conditions. Significant high stride frequency on TM running was indicated compare with OG condition (P<0.05). Contact time were almost same between TM and OG, whereas in vertical ground reaction force, non-first impact force as well as lower average loading rate were indicated in TM compared to OG (P<0.05). Lower joint kinematics were significantly different between TM and OG running during first 20% stance phase of normalized stance time. Hip and knee flexion angular velocities were larger in OG than TM (P<0.05). These results suggest that TM running causes lowed intensity for lower limb joints during stance phase, which might be applicable for prevention of running injury.