Constant low‐to‐moderate mechanical asymmetries during a treadmill graded exercise test

Girard, Olivier; Alsenoy, Ken Van; Li, Siu Nam; Ryu, Joong Hyun; Peeling, Peter

doi:10.1080/17461391.2021.1922504

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Regardless, the range of SA scores for most runners was contained within approximately twice the magnitude of the mean value, irrespective of the time interval. This pattern mirrors observations made during treadmill graded exercise test ( Girard et al, 2022 ) and at submaximal constant-velocity ( Hanley and Tucker, 2018 ) or repeated sprints ( Van Alsenoy et al, 2023 ). For instance, Hanley and Tucker (2018) found substantial inter-individual differences on an individual level, especially for spatiotemporal parameters, during a 10,000 m treadmill run at constant velocity.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Mechanical asymmetries remain low-to-moderate during 30 min of self-paced treadmill running

Mtibaa,

Zarrouk,

Ryu

et al. 2023

Front. Physiol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: We characterized the magnitude and range of gait asymmetry during self-paced treadmill running.Methods: On an instrumented treadmill, twelve trained runners (11 males, 1 female) completed a 30-min self-paced run, during which participants were instructed to cover the most distance possible. Ground reaction force recordings at a constant velocity corresponding to 70% of their maximal aerobic velocity (13.3 ± 0.8 km.h−1) allowed for the measurement of running kinetics and kinematics, as well as the calculation of spring-mass characteristics at the beginning, middle, and end of the run (minutes 1, 14, and 29, respectively). Group mean asymmetry scores were assessed using the “symmetry angle” (SA) formulae, where scores of 0% and 100% represent perfect symmetry and perfect asymmetry, respectively.Results: There was no time effect on SA scores for any of the 13 biomechanical variables (p ≥ 0.128). Mean SA scores were <2.5% for contact time (0.8% ± 0.7%), flight time (1.4% ± 0.6%), step frequency (0.7% ± 0.3%), duty factor (0.7% ± 0.3%), duration of braking (1.3% ± 0.7%) and push-off phases (0.9% ± 0.8%), as well as peak braking (2.3% ± 1.3%) and push-off forces (1.4% ± 0.9%). Mean SA scores were ≥2.5% for peak vertical loading rate (3.1% ± 1.7%), mean vertical loading rate (3.4% ± 2.1%), peak vertical forces (2.9% ± 2.2%), as well as vertical stiffness (5.2% ± 3.5%) and leg stiffness (2.5% ± 1.5%).Conclusion: Throughout a 30-min running time trial, there were consistently low-to-moderate mechanical asymmetries for spatiotemporal variables, kinetics, and spring-mass model characteristics. This suggests that trained runners maintained relatively even strides during the self-paced treadmill run, with lower extremities behaving similarly when controlling for velocity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Mechanical asymmetries remain low-to-moderate during 30 min of self-paced treadmill running

Mtibaa,

Zarrouk,

Ryu

et al. 2023

Front. Physiol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Consistent with earlier investigations (29,31), the SA scores for most runners exhibited a range roughly double the magnitude of the mean value across all metrics. A plausible explanation for this phenomenon could be the substantial variation in running styles among participants, as we did not assess their foot strike patterns in this study (32).…”

Section: Individual Responsessupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Another important finding is that, on average, vertically-derived measures exhibited the lowest degree of asymmetry when compared to mechanical variables calculated from the horizontal GRF signal. Similar observations have been made during single (15) or repeated treadmill sprints (11,28) and a graded exercise test (29), although contradictory findings also exist [e.g., 30 m sprint on a non-motorized treadmill (30)]. A qualitative examination of the SA scores further suggests that asymmetries in peak forces and impulses (∼3%-8%) were approximately twice as large as those in phase durations (∼1%-2%).…”

Section: Sa Scores Are Inconsistent Between Vertically-vs Horizontall...supporting

confidence: 59%

Constant low-to-moderate mechanical asymmetries during 800-m track running

Girard,

Millet,

Micallef

2024

Front. Sports Act. Living

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionModifications in asymmetry in response to self-paced efforts have not been thoroughly documented, particularly regarding horizontally-derived ground reaction force variables. We determined the magnitude and range of gait asymmetries during 800 m track running.MethodsEighteen physical education students completed an 800 m self-paced run on a 200 m indoor track. During the run, vertical and horizontal ground reaction forces were measured at a sampling frequency of 500 Hz using a 5 m-long force platform system, with data collected once per lap. The following mechanical variables were determined for two consecutive steps: contact time and duration of braking/push-off phases along with vertical/braking/push-off peak forces and impulses. The group mean asymmetry scores were evaluated using the “symmetry angle” (SA) formula, where scores of 0% and 100% correspond to perfect symmetry and perfect asymmetry, respectively.ResultsThere was no influence of distance interval on SA scores for any of the nine biomechanical variables (P ≥ 0.095). The SA scores were ∼1%–2% for contact time (1.3 ± 0.5%), peak vertical forces (1.8 ± 0.9%), and vertical impulse (1.7 ± 1.0%). The SA scores were ∼3%–8% for duration of braking (3.6 ± 1.1%) and push-off (3.2 ± 1.4%) phases, peak braking (5.0 ± 2.1%) and push-off (6.9 ± 3.1%) forces as well as braking (7.6 ± 2.3%) and push-off (7.7 ± 3.3%) impulses. The running velocity progressively decreased at 300 m and 500 m compared to that at 100 m but levelled off at 700 m (P < 0.001).DiscussionThere were no modifications in gait asymmetries, as measured at 200-m distance intervals during 800-m track running in physical education students. The 800 m self-paced run did not impose greater mechanical constraints on one side of the body. Experimental procedures for characterizing the gait pattern during 800 m track running could be simplified by collecting leg mechanical data from only one side.

show abstract

“…Nonetheless, minimal asymmetry between legs was assumed by pooling the data from both limbs. Further research is needed, specifically comparing different forms of chronic altitude exposure [33], to determine the effects of altitude training on gait asymmetries assessed at known physiological landmarks, such as the ventilatory threshold and respiratory compensation points [35].…”

Section: Limitations and Additional Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical Asymmetries during Treadmill Running: Effects of Running Velocity and Hypoxic Exposure

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Studies evaluating mechanical asymmetry across a range of running velocities during treadmill runs have yielded inconsistent findings, while the impact of additional hypoxic exposure has never been investigated. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of manipulating running velocity and hypoxic exposure on gait asymmetry during treadmill running. Eleven trained individuals performed seven runs at different velocities (8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 km·h−1) in a randomized order, each lasting 45 s. The running took place on an instrumented treadmill for normoxia (FiO2 = 20.9%), moderate hypoxia (FiO2 = 16.1%), high hypoxia (FiO2 = 14.1%), and severe hypoxia (FiO2 = 13.0%). Vertical and antero-posterior ground reaction force recordings over 20 consecutive steps (i.e., after running ∼25 s) allowed the measurement of running mechanics. Lower-limb asymmetry was assessed from the ‘symmetry angle’ (SA) score. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA (seven velocities × four conditions) was used. There was no significant difference in SA scores for any of the biomechanical variables for velocity (except contact time and braking phase duration; p = 0.003 and p = 0.002, respectively), condition, or interaction. Mean SA scores varied between ∼1% and 2% for contact time (1.5 ± 0.8%), flight time (1.6 ± 0.6%), step length (0.8 ± 0.2%), peak vertical force (1.2 ± 0.5%), and mean vertical loading rate (2.1 ± 1.0%). Mean SA scores ranged from ∼2% to 5% for duration of braking (1.6 ± 0.7%) and push-off phases (1.9 ± 0.6%), as well as peak braking (5.0 ± 1.9%) and push-off forces (4.8 ± 1.7%). In conclusion, the trained runners exhibited relatively even strides, with mechanical asymmetries remaining low-to-moderate across a range of submaximal, constant running velocities (ranging from 8 to 20 km·h−1) and varying levels of hypoxia severity (between normoxia and severe hypoxia).

show abstract

Constant low‐to‐moderate mechanical asymmetries during a treadmill graded exercise test

Cited by 4 publications

References 30 publications

Mechanical asymmetries remain low-to-moderate during 30 min of self-paced treadmill running

Mechanical asymmetries remain low-to-moderate during 30 min of self-paced treadmill running

Constant low-to-moderate mechanical asymmetries during 800-m track running

Mechanical Asymmetries during Treadmill Running: Effects of Running Velocity and Hypoxic Exposure

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About