Influence of Prolonged Running and Training on Tibial Acceleration and Movement Quality in Novice Runners

Abstract

Context Changes in lower limb loading and movement quality after prolonged running and training periods might influence injury risks in runners. Objectives To assess (1) the effects of a single prolonged run and a 3-week running training program on peak tibial acceleration (PTA) during running and Functional Movement Screen (FMS) criterion tests, and (2) the relationship between running volume during the 3-week training program and changes in PTA and FMS scores after training. Design Case series. Setting Research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants Ten novice runners (age = 27 ± 7 years) with 15 ± 14 months of running experience, who ran on average 19.6 ± 4.8 km per week at a preferred pace of 7:05 ± 1:30 minutes per km. Main Outcome Measure(s) Participants completed a 30-minute submaximal prolonged treadmill run and 3-week training program with 25% increases in weekly running volume. Peak tibial acceleration and the deep-squat and active straight-leg–raise criterion FMS test scores were assessed before and after the prolonged run at enrollment and after the training program (ie, 3 testing sessions). Results No differences in PTA or FMS scores were observed among the 3 testing times. Although the changes in PTA (r = 0.57) and FMS aggregate score (r = 0.15) were not significantly correlated with training volume, training volume explained 32% of the variance in the PTA change from before to after training. Conclusions Our findings suggest that tibial acceleration and movement quality were not influenced by a single submaximal effort prolonged run or a 3-week training period. However, novice runners who have a greater increase in running volume might be more susceptible to training-related changes in tibial acceleration than those whose running volume is less.

3D Tibial Acceleration and Consideration of 3D Angular Motion Using IMUs on Peak Tibial Acceleration and Impulse in Running

“…This is substantiated by the slightly different slopes of PTA ankle z compared with PTA IMU z over different speeds, and the difference in PTA ankle z versus PTA IMU z distally. Still, accelerometers are often placed distally (20)(21)(22), which results in an offset between PTA IMU z and PTA ankle z . Furthermore, for both the proximal and distal IMU locations, the PTA ankle z showed a steeper increment over different running speed compared with PTA IMU z .…”

“…As a consequence, centripetal and tangential accelerations are larger farther away from the ankle joint, which causes the accelerometer output to differ at different locations across the entire tibia (18). However, sensors are placed at various locations in running studies (14): ranging from 2 to 4 cm (20), 8 cm (21), or 12 cm (22) above the medial malleolus toward placing a sensor on the proximal anteromedial aspect of the tibia (2,5,23). Therefore, it can be expected that different sensor locations will result in different and incomparable PTA values due to the rotational motion of the tibia.…”

Effect of Running-Induced Fatigue on Tibial Acceleration and the Role of Lower Limb Muscle Strength, Power, and Endurance

“…Perceived exertion increased (50% of run completion) before increases in PTA (75% of run completion). Camelio et al (15) investigated PTA during a submaximal run, with participants reporting a fatigue scale 5 out of a possible 10 using a visual analog scale rating at the end of the run, finding no changes to PTA. A fixed 30-min run was used in this study, which is similar to the mean duration of our study.…”

“…Running-induced fatigue may play a role on the ability to maintain impact loading, as stresses on the tibia have been shown to increase during a prolonged run (10). Findings regarding the effect of running-induced fatigue on impact loading are also inconsistent, with some studies finding increases (11,12), decreases (13), or no changes to PTA during a run (14,15). Factors that may explain the inconsistency in findings of previous studies include variations in running speed or running surface (13).…”

Sensitiveness of Variables Extracted from a Fitness Smartwatch to Detect Changes in Vertical Impact Loading during Outdoors Running

“…Studies using accelerometry have revealed reduced vertical tibial acceleration during indoor treadmill/overground running when compared to outdoor conditions, such as grass or asphalt [ 3 ], and has been used as an alternative assessment tool of vertical loading rates [ 4 ]. Furthermore, peak tibial acceleration is a useful parameter for the assessment of running-related injuries [ 8 , 9 ]. Therefore, tibial acceleration is a highly relevant method to assess a runner’s impact properties in natural conditions.…”