The metabolic cost of human running: is swinging the arms worth it?

Abstract

Although the mechanical function is quite clear, there is no consensus regarding the metabolic benefit of arm swing during human running. We compared the metabolic cost of running using normal arm swing with the metabolic cost of running while restricting the arms in three different ways: (1) holding the hands with the arms behind the back in a relaxed position (BACK), (2) holding the arms across the chest (CHEST) and (3) holding the hands on top of the head (HEAD). We hypothesized that running without arm swing would demand a greater metabolic cost than running with arm swing. Indeed, when compared with running using normal arm swing, we found that net metabolic power demand was 3, 9 and 13% greater for the BACK, CHEST and HEAD conditions, respectively (all P<0.05). We also found that when running without arm swing, subjects significantly increased the peakto-peak amplitudes of both shoulder and pelvis rotation about the vertical axis, most likely a compensatory strategy to counterbalance the rotational angular momentum of the swinging legs. In conclusion, our findings support our general hypothesis that swinging the arms reduces the metabolic cost of human running. Our findings also demonstrate that arm swing minimizes torso rotation. We infer that actively swinging the arms provides both metabolic and biomechanical benefits during human running.

Clinical Implications of Hand Position and Lower Limb Length Measurement Method on Y-Balance Test Scores and Interpretations

“…These findings suggest a shift in the neuromuscular-control strategies used to perform the LQ-YBT when the upper limbs are restricted compared with free moving, which is supported by empirical evidence of change in dynamic task performance when upper limb motion is restricted. 16,25,26 For instance, limiting upper limb motion during running increases shoulder and pelvic rotations about the vertical axis 25 and can impede the recovery of gaitstability measures after external perturbations. 26 In my study, restricting upper limb motion led to a change in the categorization of certain individuals from at risk to not at risk for injury (and vice versa).…”

The effect of breast support and breast pain on upper-extremity kinematics during running: implications for females with large breasts

“…Trunk and arm movements have received less attention in the running literature, although some links have been established between upper-extremity kinematics and running economy (Arellano & Kram, 2014;Dallam, Wilber, Jadelis, Fletcher, & Romanov, 2005;Hinrichs, 1990;Tseh, Caputo, & Morgan, 2008;Williams & Cavanagh, 1987). Excessive trunk rotation, flexion and extension are proposed to be mechanical flaws in running style (Messier & Cirillo, 1989).…”

“…However, higher breast pain reported for women with larger breasts during running (Lorentzen & Lawson, 1987) may encourage an altered arm position, a notion proposed by White, Scurr, and Hedger (2011) based on subjective feedback from UK D cup size female runners in their study. It is anticipated that if increased breast movement and pain is experienced by runners with larger breasts this may lead them to reduce their torso rotation, which can be achieved by adopting a greater arm swing (Arellano & Kram, 2014). A more crossover style arm swing may also be adopted in an attempt to be more comfortable, which reduces side-to-side motion of the whole body (Arellano & Kram, 2014).…”

Effect of upper extremity swing restrain on walking energy consumption and balance

“…Tercih edilen yürüme hızında tek üst ekstremite immobilizasyonunun [10] ve koşu sırasında oluşturu-lan ekstremite kısıtlamasının [21,43] oksijen tüketiminde anlamlı bir artışa neden olduğu ve yürüme sırasın-da kol salınımının engellendiği durumda, metabolik enerji tüketiminin %5-8 oranında arttığı yapılan çalışmalarla gösterilmiştir. [1,44] Diğer taraftan başka bir çalışmada ise üst ekstremite immobilizasyonunun enerji tüketimini etkilemediğini bildirmiştir.…”

“…[18] Kol salınımının kısıtlanması enerji tüketimini artırmaktadır. [21] Üst ektremite salınımı, VKM dikey yer değişimini ve dikey yer tepki momentini azalttığı gibi, mekanik dengeyi sağlar ve enerji tüketimini en aza indirgemeye yardımcı olur. [1,18,22] Merkezi olarak kontrol edilen vücut reaksiyonları, yürüme sırasında bozulan dengeyi düzeltmede aktif olarak görev alır.…”