Sensors, Vol. 20, Pages 3822: Mechanical Properties of Treadmill Surfaces Compared to Other Overground Sport Surfaces

Sensors, Vol. 20, Pages 3822: Mechanical Properties of Treadmill Surfaces Compared to Other Overground Sport Surfaces Sensors doi: 10.3390/s20143822 Authors: Enrique Colino Jose Luis Felipe Bas Van Hooren Leonor Gallardo Kenneth Meijer Alejandro Lucia Jorge Lopez-Fernandez Jorge Garcia-Unanue The mechanical properties of the surfaces used for exercising can affect sports performance and injury risk. However, the mechanical properties of treadmill surfaces remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the shock absorption (SA), vertical deformation (VD) and energy restitution (ER) of different treadmill models and to compare them with those of other sport surfaces. A total of 77 treadmills, 30 artificial turf pitches and 30 athletics tracks were assessed using an advanced artificial athlete device. Differences in the mechanical properties between the surfaces and treadmill models were evaluated using a repeated-measures ANOVA. The treadmills were found to exhibit the highest SA of all the surfaces (64.2 ± 2; p < 0.01; effect size (ES) = 0.96), while their VD (7.6 ± 1.3; p < 0.01; ES = 0.87) and ER (45 ± 11; p < 0.01; ES = 0.51) were between the VDs of the artificial turf and track. The SA (p < 0.01; ES = 0.69), VD (p < 0.01; ES = 0.90) and ER (p < 0.01; ES = 0.89) were also shown to differ between treadmill models. The d...
Source: Sensors - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: Letter Source Type: research