The Impact of the Spartathlon Ultramarathon Race on Athletes' Plantar Pressure Patterns

Abstract

More than 90% of injuries in runners are recorded in the lower extremity, equally affecting the regions of the knee, shank, and foot. Stress fractures are responsible for numerous running-related injuries. In the current study, the plantar pressure patterns of prerace, immediately postrace, and 24 hours after long-distance running in the Spartathlon were analyzed to compare foot loading in the respective conditions. Forty-six male participants of the Spartathlon ultramarathon were examined before, immediately after completion of the race, and 24 hours later with plantar pressure measurements during barefoot walking on a capacitive platform. The results revealed a significant increase in the peak pressure and impulse values in the forefoot areas and a decrease under the toes before and immediately after the race. On the contrary, no significant differences were found between the prerace and the 24-hour postrace values. The present findings indicate that the Spartathlon race leads to significant variations in foot-loading characteristics, especially in the peak pressure and impulse values under the forefoot and toe regions. Twenty-four-hour postrace data measurements reveal insignificant differences from the prerace statement, probably because of the restoration of local muscular activity.

Influência da distância de corrida na pressão plantar

“…The increased loading in forefoot of 10 km runners may also suggest attention for training, as this pattern of loading can influence the development of patellofemoral pain syndrome 16 , which depends on the running technique 17 , and is a risk factor for ankle injuries such as ankle sprains 18 . Considering a regular involvement in running training, the persistence of changes after competition (up to 24 h after a prolonged running 19 ) suggest further attention to the foot health among athletes and coaches.…”

Evaluation of MR Images of the Ankle and Foot in Response to Long-Distance Running: A Systematic Review

“…This finding is consistent with biomechanical studies assessing the foot plantar pressure before and after long-distance running. These studies found that the loading under the 4 th and 5 th metatarsals and the heel were significantly increased [40][41][42]. Thijs et al [43] also reported that the greater plantar pressure under the metatarsals and lateral heel regions can be related to patellofemoral pain in runners.…”

Could Insoles Offload Pressure? An Evaluation of the Effects of Arch-supported Functional Insoles on Plantar Pressure Distribution during Race Walking

“…Compared with the peak pressure, the impulse is a more sensitive indicator of the etiology of foot injury; it also has a higher association with pain or injury (Hodge, Bath, & Carter, 1999) and has greater differentiability when comparing the perceived comfort (Chen, Nigg, & De Koning, 1994). Various surveys have investigated the potential causative factors of stress fractures, several of which were attributed to the excessive plantar loading during landing (Karagounis et al, 2009;Mizrahi, Verbitskya, Isakov, & Daily, 2000). These surveys showed that excessive plantar loading poses additional risks to bone integrity.…”

“…This study proved that functional insoles significantly reduce the peak pressures in the hallux, MPJs 1 to 4, and heels, all of which are vulnerable to injuries (Werner, Gell, Hartigan, Wiggerman, & Keyserling, 2010). Furthermore, repetitive submaximal stimuli can reduce the individual loading capacity of the bone and lead to structural changes in the areas of maximal stress (Karagounis et al, 2009). After a long period of repeated foot loading, the plantar load is transferred from the toes to the MPJs and causes higher peak pressures in the MPJs compared with that at the start of walking or running; this repeated loading may lead to stress fractures in the MPJ bones, particularly in the second and third MPJs, which are vulnerable because of the discrepancy between the bone strength and imposed plantar pressure (Karagounis et al, 2009).…”

“…During race walking, walkers have to recurrently undergo plantar compressive loading for 1 h to 4 h; during this period, the regions experiencing relatively high pressures or forces, such as the MPJs and heels, readily suffer from overuse injury. Karagounis, Prionas, Armenis, and Baltopoulos (2009) noted that repeated plantar loading leads to stress fractures in the metatarsal bones, particularly in the second and third MPJs. Sanzen et al (1986) found that the increased pressure on the heels causes more strain on the tibialis anterior when landing and possibly contributes to a number of commonly seen lower-extremity injuries in race walking.…”