Comparison of plantar loads during treadmill and overground running.

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study is to compare plantar loads during treadmill running and running on concrete and grass surfaces. DESIGN Crossover study design was used in the study. METHODS A total of 16 experienced heel-to-toe runners participated in the study. Plantar loads data were collected using a Novel Pedar insole sensor system during running on the treadmill, concrete, and grass surfaces at 3.8m/s running speed and then analyzed. RESULTS Compared with running on the two other surfaces, treadmill running showed a lower magnitude of maximum plantar pressure and maximum plantar force for the total foot, maximum plantar pressure at two toe regions, and maximum plantar force for the medial forefoot region and two toe regions (p<0.0017). Treadmill running also showed a longer absolute contact time at two toe regions compared with running on the other two surfaces (p<0.0017). CONCLUSIONS Treadmill running is associated with a lower magnitude of maximum plantar pressure and a lower maximum plantar force at the plantar areas. These results suggest that the plantar load distribution in treadmill running is not the same as the plantar load distribution in running on overground surfaces. Treadmill running may be useful in early rehabilitation programs. Patients with injuries in their lower extremities may benefit from the reduction in plantar loads. However, the translation to overground running needs investigation.

[1]  H J Yack,et al.  Comparison of vertical ground reaction forces during overground and treadmill walking. , 1998, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[2]  Joseph Hamill,et al.  Kinematic adaptations during running: effects of footwear, surface, and duration. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[3]  Feehery Rv,et al.  The biomechanics of running on different surfaces. , 1986 .

[4]  W. Garrett,et al.  Forefoot Loading during 3 Athletic Tasks , 2007, The American journal of sports medicine.

[5]  D Schmidtbleicher,et al.  Kinematics and Electromyography of Lower Limb Muscles in Overground and Treadmill Running , 1998, International journal of sports medicine.

[6]  A. Schache,et al.  A comparison of overground and treadmill running for measuring the three-dimensional kinematics of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. , 2001, Clinical biomechanics.

[7]  Daniel P. Ferris,et al.  Running in the real world: adjusting leg stiffness for different surfaces , 1998, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[8]  Kevin R Ford,et al.  Comparison of in-shoe foot loading patterns on natural grass and synthetic turf. , 2006, Journal of science and medicine in sport.

[9]  A. Hreljac.  Impact and overuse injuries in runners. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[10]  Paul Fiolkowski,et al.  In‐shoe plantar measurements during running on different surfaces: changes in temporal and kinetic parameters , 2002 .

[11]  T. Derrick.  The effects of knee contact angle on impact forces and accelerations. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[12]  A. Schache,et al.  Familiarization to treadmill running in young unimpaired adults. , 2005, Human movement science.

[13]  J. Perry,et al.  The influence of walking speed and footwear on plantar pressures in older adults. , 2004, Clinical biomechanics.

[14]  Novacheck,et al.  The biomechanics of running. , 1998, Gait & posture.

[15]  Olivier Girard,et al.  Effects of the playing surface on plantar pressures and potential injuries in tennis , 2007, British Journal of Sports Medicine.

[16]  B. Nigg,et al.  A kinematic comparison of overground and treadmill running. , 1995, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[17]  Vitor Tessutti,et al.  In-shoe plantar pressure distribution during running on natural grass and asphalt in recreational runners. , 2010, Journal of science and medicine in sport.

[18]  Tine Marieke Willems,et al.  Gait related risk factors for exercise-related lower leg pain during shod running , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[19]  D. Kerrigan,et al.  A kinematics and kinetic comparison of overground and treadmill running. , 2008, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[20]  Ji He Zhou,et al.  Changes in running mechanics using conventional shoelace versus elastic shoe cover , 2011, Journal of sports sciences.

[21]  S. Dixon,et al.  Impact absorption of tennis shoe-surface combinations , 2003 .

[22]  J. Donelan,et al.  Force treadmill for measuring vertical and horizontal ground reaction forces. , 1998, Journal of applied physiology.

[23]  R. Ferber,et al.  Gender differences in lower extremity mechanics during running. , 2003, Clinical biomechanics.

[24]  P R Cavanagh,et al.  Ground reaction forces in distance running. , 1980, Journal of biomechanics.

[25]  Savelberg,et al.  Intra-stride belt-speed variation affects treadmill locomotion. , 1998, Gait & posture.

[26]  Ugo Della Croce,et al.  Testing of a tri-instrumented-treadmill unit for kinetic analysis of locomotion tasks in static and dynamic loading conditions. , 2007, Medical engineering & physics.

[27]  M E Batt,et al.  Surface effects on ground reaction forces and lower extremity kinematics in running. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[28]  Hockenbury Rt.  Forefoot problems in athletes. , 1999 .

[29]  W. P. Chen,et al.  Stress distribution of the foot during mid-stance to push-off in barefoot gait: a 3-D finite element analysis. , 2001, Clinical biomechanics.