Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/a-2044-4805
Vertical and Leg Stiffness Modeling During Running: Effect of Speed and Incline
Funding Information Innosuisse – Schweizerische Agentur für Innovationsförderung — http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013348; 32166.1Abstract
A spring mass model is often used to describe human running, allowing to understand the concept of elastic energy storage and restitution. The stiffness of the spring is a key parameter and different methods have been developed to estimate both the vertical and the leg stiffness components. Nevertheless, the validity and the range of application of these models are still debated. The aim of the present study was to compare three methods (i. e., Temporal, Kinetic and Kinematic-Kinetic) of stiffness determination. Twenty-nine healthy participants equipped with reflective markers performed 5-min running bouts at four running speeds and eight inclines on an instrumented treadmill surrounded by a tri-dimensional motion camera system. The three methods provided valid results among the different speeds, but the reference method (i. e., Kinematic-Kinetic) provided higher vertical stiffness and lower leg stiffness than the two other methods (both p<0.001). On inclined terrain, the method using temporal parameters provided non valid outcomes and should not be used. Finally, this study highlights that both the assumption of symmetry between compression and decompression phases or the estimation of the vertical displacement and changes in leg length are the major sources of errors when comparing different speeds or different slopes.
Publication History
Received: 01 February 2023
Accepted: 01 February 2023
Accepted Manuscript online:
28 February 2023
Article published online:
01 June 2023
© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Georg Thieme Verlag
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart,
Germany
-
References
- 1 Cavagna GA, Saibene FP, Margaria R. Mechanical work in running. J Appl Physiol 1964; 19: 249-256
- 2 Vernillo G, Giandolini M, Edwards WB. et al. Biomechanics and physiology of uphill and downhill running. Sports Med 2017; 47: 615-629
- 3 Alexander RM, Vernon A. The mechanics of hopping by kangaroos (Macropodidae). J Zool 1975; 177: 265-303
- 4 Cavagna GA, Thys H, Zamboni A. The sources of external work in level walking and running. J Physiol 1976; 262: 639-657
- 5 Cavagna GA, Franzetti P, Heglund NC. et al. The determinants of the step frequency in running, trotting and hopping in man and other vertebrates. J Physiol 1988; 399: 81-92
- 6 Ito A, Komi PV, Sjödin B. et al. Mechanical efficiency of positive work in running at different speeds. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1983; 15: 299-308
- 7 Blickhan R. The spring-mass model for running and hopping. J Biomech 1989; 22: 1217-1227
- 8 McMahon TA, Cheng GC. The mechanics of running: How does stiffness couple with speed. J Biomech 1990; 23: 65-78
- 9 Farley CT, González O. Leg stiffness and stride frequency in human running. J Biomech 1996; 29: 181-186
- 10 Morin JB, Dalleau G, Kyröläinen H. et al. A simple method for measuring stiffness during running. J Appl Biomech 2005; 21: 167-180
- 11 He J, Kram R, McMahon TA. Mechanics of running under simulated low gravity. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1991; 71: 863-870
- 12 Arampatzis A, Brüggemann GP, Metzler V. The effect of speed on leg stiffness and joint kinetics in human running. J Biomech 1999; 32: 1349-1353
- 13 Clauser CE, McConville JT, Young JW. Weight, volume, and center of mass of segments of the human body. Natl Tech Inf Serv 1969; 1-112 AMRL-TR- 69-70 (AD 710 622)
- 14 Hanavan EP. A mathematical model of the human body. AMRL TR 1964; 1-149
- 15 Brughelli M, Cronin J. A review of research on the mechanical stiffness in running and jumping: Methodology and implications. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2008; 18: 417-426
- 16 Dewolf AH, Ivanenko Y, Zelik KE. et al. Kinematic patterns while walking on a slope at different speeds. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2018; 125: 642-653
- 17 Dewolf AH, Peñailillo LE, Willems PA. The rebound of the body during uphill and downhill running at different speeds. J Exp Biol 2016; 219: 2276-2288
- 18 Minetti AE, Ardigò LP, Saibene F. Mechanical determinants of the minimum energy cost of gradient running in humans. J Exp Biol 1994; 195: 211-225
- 19 Falbriard M, Meyer F, Mariani B. et al. Accurate estimation of running temporal parameters using foot-worn inertial sensors. Front Physiol 2018; 9: 610
- 20 Winter DA. A new definition of mechanical work done in human movement. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol 1979; 46: 79-83
- 21 Cavagna GA. Force platforms as ergometers. J Appl Physiol 1975; 39: 174-179
- 22 Coleman DR, Cannavan D, Horne S. et al. Leg stiffness in human running: Comparison of estimates derived from previously published models to direct kinematic-kinetic measures. J Biomech 2012; 45: 1987-1991
- 23 Liew BXW, Morris S, Masters A. et al. A comparison and update of direct kinematic-kinetic models of leg stiffness in human running. J Biomech 2017; 64: 253-257
- 24 Selya AS, Rose JS, Dierker LC. et al. A practical guide to calculating Cohen’s f 2, a measure of local effect size, from PROC MIXED. Front Psychol 2012; 3: 111
- 25 Cohen J. A power primer. Psychol Bull 1992; 112: 155-159
- 26 Snyder KL, Farley CT. Energetically optimal stride frequency in running: the effects of incline and decline. J Exp Biol 2011; 214: 2089-2095
- 27 Lussiana T, Hébert-Losier K, Mourot L. Effect of minimal shoes and slope on vertical and leg stiffness during running. J Sport Health Sci 2015; 4: 195-202
- 28 García-Pinillos F, Latorre-Román P, Ramírez-Campillo R. et al. How does the slope gradient affect spatiotemporal parameters during running? Influence of athletic level and vertical and leg stiffness. Gait Posture 2019; 68: 72-77
- 29 Blum Y, Lipfert SW, Seyfarth A. Effective leg stiffness in running. J Biomech 2009; 42: 2400-2405
- 30 Clark KP, Weyand PG. Are running speeds maximized with simple-spring stance mechanics?. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2014; 117: 604-615
- 31 Liew BXW, Morris S, Masters A. et al. A comparison and update of direct kinematic-kinetic models of leg stiffness in human running. J Biomech 2017; 64: 253-257
- 32 Meyer F, Falbriard M, Mariani B. et al. Continuous analysis of marathon running using inertial sensors: hitting two walls?. Int J Sports Med 2021; 42: 1182-1190
- 33 Prigent G, Apte S, Paraschiv-Ionescu A. et al. Concurrent evolution of biomechanical and physiological parameters with running-induced acute fatigue. Front Physiol 2022; 13: 814172