Vertical average loading rate was lower in female runners classified as 'never injured' compared with those who had been injured and sought medical attention.

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Impact loading can be reduced through gait retraining and the results persist at least 1 yr. As impact loading is associated with injury, this simple intervention may provide a powerful method of reducing musculoskeletal injury risk in runners.

Females with CAI demonstrated stability deficits compared with control group in the anterior and lateral jump directions. Multiple jump directions may be necessary to adequately capture dynamic stability measures.

Although obesity has been linked to several differences in walking mechanics, few studies have examined movement mechanics of overweight and obese (OW/OB) children performing higher impact activities, such as running.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine differences in running mechanics between healthy weight (HW) children and children classified as OW/OB.MethodsForty-two children (17 OW/OB, 25 HW) ran overground while kinematic and kinetic data were recorded using a motion capture system and force plate. Kinematic variables of interest included stance time, step length, and frontal and sagittal plane joint angles and excursions at the hip, knee, and ankle. Kinetic variables of interest included ground reaction forces and hip, knee, and ankle moments in the sagittal and frontal planes.ResultsThe OW/OB group spent more time in stance, took shorter steps, displayed less hip flexion during the first half of stance, had greater ankle inversion at foot strike, had greater knee abduction throughout stance, and had smaller knee flexion, knee adduction, and hip adduction excursions. In comparing unscaled ground reaction forces, the OW/OB group displayed greater peak vertical force, vertical impact peaks, and vertical loading rates. The OW/OB group also displayed greater unscaled plantar and dorsiflexion moments, knee flexion and extension moments, ankle inversion moments, and knee and hip abduction moments.ConclusionThese data suggest that increased body weight in children is associated with changes in running mechanics. Higher joint moments and ground reaction forces may indicate increased injury risk or the development of joint degeneration among overweight/obese children.