Hannah B Archer, Sewan Kim, Harper E Stewart, Jill L McNitt-Gray, Michael E Hahn, Rodger Kram, Alena M Grabowski
{"title":"Can biomechanical variables and asymmetry predict bone stress injuries in collegiate distance runners?","authors":"Hannah B Archer, Sewan Kim, Harper E Stewart, Jill L McNitt-Gray, Michael E Hahn, Rodger Kram, Alena M Grabowski","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2025.2506563","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Runners are susceptible to bone stress injuries (BSI), due in part to cumulative loading, which is affected by force magnitude and frequency. We identified biomechanical variables that may predict BSI incidence by following 30 collegiate distance runners over three years. Athletes were classified as either uninjured (<i>n</i> = 8 male, 16 female) or injured (<i>n</i> = 3 male, 3 female) if they sustained a BSI. We measured ground reaction forces while athletes ran on a force-instrumented treadmill, and analysed step frequency (<i>f</i><sub>step</sub>), contact length (<i>L</i><sub>c</sub>), and bodyweight-normalised stance average vertical ground reaction force (<i>F</i><sub>avg</sub>) alongside asymmetry (expressed as symmetry index, SI). A secondary analysis examined inter-limb biomechanical changes in six runners prior to sustaining a BSI. We found an interaction between injury status, sex, and speed on <i>F</i><sub>avg</sub> values (<i>p</i> = 0.026). Forty-seven weeks prior to injury, <i>F</i><sub>avg</sub> values were greater in the unaffected leg than the affected leg (<i>p</i> = 0.022). In addition, female injured runners exhibited 1.62 percentage points greater <i>f</i><sub>step</sub> SI than uninjured females at 4.9 m/s (<i>p</i> = 0.030). Future research that incorporates more frequent data collection is needed to integrate biomechanical variables and physiological risk factors for injury prediction and prevention among collegiate distance runners.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Sports Biomechanics","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2025.2506563","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Runners are susceptible to bone stress injuries (BSI), due in part to cumulative loading, which is affected by force magnitude and frequency. We identified biomechanical variables that may predict BSI incidence by following 30 collegiate distance runners over three years. Athletes were classified as either uninjured (n = 8 male, 16 female) or injured (n = 3 male, 3 female) if they sustained a BSI. We measured ground reaction forces while athletes ran on a force-instrumented treadmill, and analysed step frequency (fstep), contact length (Lc), and bodyweight-normalised stance average vertical ground reaction force (Favg) alongside asymmetry (expressed as symmetry index, SI). A secondary analysis examined inter-limb biomechanical changes in six runners prior to sustaining a BSI. We found an interaction between injury status, sex, and speed on Favg values (p = 0.026). Forty-seven weeks prior to injury, Favg values were greater in the unaffected leg than the affected leg (p = 0.022). In addition, female injured runners exhibited 1.62 percentage points greater fstep SI than uninjured females at 4.9 m/s (p = 0.030). Future research that incorporates more frequent data collection is needed to integrate biomechanical variables and physiological risk factors for injury prediction and prevention among collegiate distance runners.
期刊介绍:
Sports Biomechanics is the Thomson Reuters listed scientific journal of the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (ISBS). The journal sets out to generate knowledge to improve human performance and reduce the incidence of injury, and to communicate this knowledge to scientists, coaches, clinicians, teachers, and participants. The target performance realms include not only the conventional areas of sports and exercise, but also fundamental motor skills and other highly specialized human movements such as dance (both sport and artistic).
Sports Biomechanics is unique in its emphasis on a broad biomechanical spectrum of human performance including, but not limited to, technique, skill acquisition, training, strength and conditioning, exercise, coaching, teaching, equipment, modeling and simulation, measurement, and injury prevention and rehabilitation. As well as maintaining scientific rigour, there is a strong editorial emphasis on ''reader friendliness''. By emphasising the practical implications and applications of research, the journal seeks to benefit practitioners directly.
Sports Biomechanics publishes papers in four sections: Original Research, Reviews, Teaching, and Methods and Theoretical Perspectives.