Gait asymmetry: Composite scores for mechanical analyses of sprint running

Abstract

Gait asymmetry analyses are beneficial from clinical, coaching and technology perspectives. Quantifying overall athlete asymmetry would be useful in allowing comparisons between participants, or between asymmetry and other factors, such as sprint running performance. The aim of this study was to develop composite kinematic and kinetic asymmetry scores to quantify athlete asymmetry during maximal speed sprint running. Eight male sprint trained athletes (age 22±5 years, mass 74.0±8.7 kg and stature 1.79±0.07 m) participated in this study. Synchronised sagittal plane kinematic and kinetic data were collected via a CODA motion analysis system, synchronised to two Kistler force plates. Bilateral, lower limb data were collected during the maximal velocity phase of sprint running (velocity=9.05±0.37 ms(-1)). Kinematic and kinetic composite asymmetry scores were developed using the previously established symmetry angle for discrete variables associated with successful sprint performance and comparisons of continuous joint power data. Unlike previous studies quantifying gait asymmetry, the scores incorporated intra-limb variability by excluding variables from the composite scores that did not display significantly larger (p<0.05) asymmetry than intra-limb variability. The variables that contributed to the composite scores and the magnitude of asymmetry observed for each measure varied on an individual participant basis. The new composite scores indicated the inter-participant differences that exist in asymmetry during sprint running and may serve to allow comparisons between overall athlete asymmetry with other important factors such as performance.

Biomechanical analysis of cross on training and competition

“…Asymmetry differences are recently studied in athletics (EXELL et al, 2012a(EXELL et al, , 2012c and gymnastics (EXELL et al, 2012b) as indicative of performance condition. An advance over the asymmetry of cross on rings would have a bi-folded contribution on performance analysis.…”

“…There is some evidence that bilateral imbalances in strength, structure, or gait mechanics may contribute to increased injury risk on one side of a runner's body (ZIFCHOCK et al, 2008). Biomechanical asymmetry provides useful information regarding performance, injury and methods of data collection (EXELL et al, 2012a(EXELL et al, , 2012b(EXELL et al, , 2012c.…”

“…Mostly, they have show that right and left angles and forces measured in our study were similar between the training and competition rings. Asymmetry scores are used to analyse sport performance (EXELL et al, 2012c) or to allow for asymmetry comparisons between athletes over time and between asymmetry and performance or injury occurrence (EXELL et al, 2012a). Individually, all gymnasts experienced equivalent forces when adopting the training or competition rings.…”

“…Asymmetry scores were used to analyse the performance in sprint running (EXELL et al, 2012c) and to allow the comparisons among athletes over time and between asymmetry and performance (EXELL et al, 2012a). Besides, in gymnastics, the asymmetrical performance leads to penalties during contests (FIG, 2013).…”

“…Asymmetry measurements are one way of measuring the load differences between limbs (EXELL et al, 2012a). Asymmetry has been identified as increasing injury potential of one limb over the other DAVIS;HAMILL, 2006).…”