Locomotor Adaptations During RaceRunning in People With Neurological Motor Disorders

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine strategies to absorb impact shock during RaceRunning in participants with neurological motor disorders. For this purpose, 8 RaceRunning athletes (4 male and 4 female) voluntarily took part in the study. Each participant performed a series of 100-m sprints with a RaceRunning bike. Acceleration of the tibia and head was measured with 2 inertial measurement units and used to calculate foot-impact shock measures. Results showed that RaceRunning pattern was characterized by a lack of impact peak in foot–ground contact time and the existence of an active peak after foot contact. Due to the ergonomic properties of the RaceRunning bike, shock is attenuated throughout the stance phase. In conclusion, the results revealed that RaceRunning athletes with neurological motor disorders are capable of absorbing impact shock during assisted RaceRunning using a strategy that mimics runners without disabilities.

What Do We Know about Frame Running? A Narrative Review

“…Results indicated that the ergonomic properties of the equipment favor the locomotion of people with CP, because the impact shock during the stance phase is reduced because of the athlete exercising sustained on PETRA. Despite the findings suggesting that CP perform their movement patterns closer to people without CP, a relationship with performance was not explored (44).…”

Study protocol for Running for health (Run4Health CP): a multicentre, assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial of 12 weeks of two times weekly Frame Running training versus usual care to improve cardiovascular health risk factors in children and youth with cerebral palsy

“… 14 Frame Running can evoke a heart rate commensurate with high-intensity exercise 19 and uses large muscle groups in a reciprocal way that may have functional cross over to enhanced mobility. 20 A larger (n=25) pre–post pilot study of once weekly Frame Running training for 24 weeks duration is planned. 15 This study with no accompanying sample size calculation has the potential to be underpowered and/or underdosed to detect improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors.…”

“…In the absence of an existing systematic review of the literature, an author search was conducted on 21 September 2021 for articles indexed in the PubMed database, using the terms ‘RaceRunning’ OR ‘Frame Running’ OR ‘race running’ AND ‘cerebral palsy’ located in title/abstract (with additional hand search of reference lists for included articles). This search returned only seven studies: one pilot single-group pre–post trial,14 one study protocol for a pilot randomised feasibility study,15 one reliability study for a Frame Running-specific field exercise test,16 two cross-sectional studies examining relationship between impairments and Frame Running performance17 18 and two cross-sectional studies on kinesiologic and metabolic responses or adaptations to use of running frames 19 20. The pre–post pilot trial included n=15 adolescents and young adults with CP (age range 9–29 years, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I–IV) and demonstrated that 12 weeks of two times weekly Frame Running training led to on average, a 34% increase in cardiorespiratory endurance and a 9% increase in thickness of the medial gastrocnemius muscle 14.…”

“…The pre–post pilot trial included n=15 adolescents and young adults with CP (age range 9–29 years, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I–IV) and demonstrated that 12 weeks of two times weekly Frame Running training led to on average, a 34% increase in cardiorespiratory endurance and a 9% increase in thickness of the medial gastrocnemius muscle 14. Frame Running can evoke a heart rate commensurate with high-intensity exercise19 and uses large muscle groups in a reciprocal way that may have functional cross over to enhanced mobility 20. A larger (n=25) pre–post pilot study of once weekly Frame Running training for 24 weeks duration is planned 15.…”