Effects of Body Weight Support in Running on Achilles Tendon Loading
Int J Sports Med DOI: 10.1055/a-2113-1026Achilles tendon (AT) tendinopathy is common in runners. Repetitive AT loading may
play a role in etiology. Interventions such as body weight support (BWS) may
reduce loading on the AT in running. Examine how ground reaction force, AT
loading, foot strike, and cadence variables change in running with BWS.
Twenty-four healthy female runners free from injury were examined. Participants
ran on an instrumented treadmill with and without BWS using a harness-based
system at a standardized speed. The system has 4 elastic cords affixed to a
harness that is attached to a frame-like structure. Kinematic data and kinetic
data were used in a musculoskeletal model (18 segments and 16 degrees of
freedom) to determine AT loading variables, foot strike angle, and cadence.
Paired t-tests were used to compare each variable between conditions. Ground
reaction force was 9.0% lower with BWS (p<.05). Peak AT stress,
force, and impulse were 9.4, 11.7%, and 14.8% lower when using
BWS in running compared to no support (p<.05). Foot strike angle was
similar (p<.05) despite cadence being reduced (p<.05). BWS may
reduce AT loading and impulse variables during running. This may be important in
rehabilitation efforts. [...] Georg Thieme Verlag Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart,
Germany...
Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Pohlman, Callie Pardee, Andrew Friedman, Mikey Rutherford, Drew Vannatta, Charles Nathan Kernozek, Thomas W. Tags: Orthopedics & Biomechanics Source Type: research