Assessments of Mechanical Stiffness and Relationships to Performance Determinants in Middle-Distance Runners

Rogers, Simon A.; Whatman, Chris; Pearson, Simon; Kilding, Andrew E.

doi:10.1123/ijspp.2016-0594

Cited by 20 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…27,28 Nevertheless, other studies have shown that middle- and long-distance runners with the best running economy or the best records had stiffer ATs. 14,41 Thus, there is no clear relationship between AT stiffness and performance. Because of the nature of the triceps sural MTC and its function in the storing and releasing of elastic energy, no difference in AT stiffness may facilitate this function, and it could be explained by the interaction between muscle and tendon during movement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patellar and Achilles Tendon Stiffness in Elite Soccer Players Assessed Using Myotonometric Measurements

et al. 2019

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Background:Tendon overuse injuries are an issue in elite footballers (soccer players) and may affect tendon function. Achilles and patellar tendinopathy are the most frequent pathologies. Tendon stiffness, the relationship between the force applied to a tendon and the displacement exerted, may help represent tendon function. Stiffness is affected by training and pathology. Nevertheless, information regarding this mechanical property is lacking for elite soccer athletes.Hypothesis:Achilles and patellar tendon stiffness assessed using myotonometric measurements will be greater in elite soccer athletes than in control participants.Study Design:Cross-sectional study.Level of Evidence:Level 4.Methods:Forty-nine elite soccer athletes and 49 control participants were evaluated during the 2017 preseason. A handheld device was used to measure Achilles and patellar tendon stiffness. Dominant and nondominant limbs were assessed for both groups.Results:A significantly stiffer patellar tendon was found for both the dominant and the nondominant limb in the elite soccer athletes compared with the control group. Nevertheless, no differences were found in Achilles tendon stiffness between groups. When comparing between playing positions in soccer athletes, no significant differences were found for both tendons.Conclusion:Greater patellar tendon stiffness may be related to an improvement in force transmission during muscle contraction. On the other hand, it seems that after years of professional training, Achilles tendon stiffness does not change, conserving the storing-releasing function of elastic energy. The nonsignificant differences between positions may be attributable to the years of homogeneous training that the players underwent.Clinical Relevance:The present study shows another technique for measuring mechanical properties of tendons in soccer athletes that could be used in clinical settings. In the future, this technique may help clinicians choose the best exercise protocol to address impairments in tendon stiffness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patellar and Achilles Tendon Stiffness in Elite Soccer Players Assessed Using Myotonometric Measurements

et al. 2019

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“…A novel contribution from our study was the analysis of the potential benefits of beetroot juice ingestion on different biomechanical variables that has been linked to running performance in the literature, such as leg stiffness [ 23 , 30 ]. For example, leg stiffness has showed to be negatively associated with running economy, since, in theory, a stiffer lower limb would store a higher amount of elastic energy that would assist in the force production during running and, therefore, it would reduce the cost of the exercise [ 9 , 23 ]. Results in our study showed trivial effects of beetroot juice supplementation in leg stiffness, similar to submaximal running economy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent study [ 20 ] observed that 8 days of beetroot supplementation didn’t increase performance variables in elite 1500m runners; however, whether larger interventions might have benefits in elite populations is unknown. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have analyzed the potential effects of beetroot supplementation in mechanical aspects of running such as leg stiffness, a variable that has been linked to running economy in different studies [ 21 – 23 ]. For this, the purpose of this study is to analyze the physiological, psychological and biomechanical effects of beetroot juice supplementation in elite distance runners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of beetroot juice supplementation on exercise economy, rating of perceived exertion and running mechanics in elite distance runners: A double-blinded, randomized study

Balsalobre-Fernández¹,

Romero-Moraleda²,

Cupeiro³

et al. 2018

PLoS ONE

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PurposeNitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation has been extensively used to increase exercise economy in different populations. However, its use in elite distance runners, and its potential effects on biomechanical aspects of running have not been properly investigated. This study aims to analyze the potential effects of 15 days of beetroot juice supplementation on physiological, psychological and biomechanical variables in elite runners.MethodsTwelve elite middle and long-distance runners (age = 26.3 ± 5.1yrs, VO2Max = 71.8±5.2 ml*kg-1*min-1) completed an incremental running test to exhaustion on a treadmill before and after a 15-days supplementation period, in which half of the group (EG) consumed a daily nitrate-rich beetroot juice and the other group (PG) consumed a placebo drink. Time to exhaustion (TEx), running economy, vastus lateralis oxygen saturation (SmO2), leg stiffness and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured at 15, 17.1 and 20 km/h during the incremental test.ResultsLikely to very likely improvements in EG were observed for the RPE (Standardized mean difference (SMD) = -2.17, 90%CI = -3.23, -1.1), SmO2 (SMD = 0.72, 90%CI = 0.03, 1.41) and TEx (SMD = 1.18, 90%CI = -0.14, 2.5) in comparison with PG. No other physiological or biomechanical variable showed substantial improvements after the supplementation period.ConclusionsFifteen days of nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation produced substantial improvements in the time to exhaustion in elite runners; however, it didn’t produce meaningful improvements in running economy, VO2Max or mechanical parameters.

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“…It has been applied to elite runners in the study of sprinting 26 and triathlon 27 , but it has not been systematically examined in elite middle distance runners. Rogers and colleagues studied leg stiffness in a group of highly-trained middle distance runners (average 1500 m best: 4:02) at a single submaximal speed (14 km/h) and at a maximal sprinting speed and observed that the leg stiffness in sprinting was strongly correlated to both running economy and maximal sprinting speed 28 . Similarly, Fourchet and colleagues studied the spring-mass characteristics of youth middle distance runners during an exhaustive run and found contact time, vertical displacement, and leg compression to increase following the run, resulting in decreased leg stiffnesses with consistent stride lengths and frequencies 29 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bouncing behavior of sub-four minute milers

Burns

Gonzalez

Zendler

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Elite middle distance runners present as a unique population in which to explore biomechanical phenomena in relation to running speed, as their training and racing spans a broad spectrum of paces. However, there have been no comprehensive investigations of running mechanics across speeds within this population. Here, we used the spring-mass model of running to explore global mechanical behavior across speeds in these runners. Ten elite-level 1500 m and mile runners (mean 1500 m best: 3:37.3 ± 3.6 s; mile: 3:54.6 ± 3.9 s) and ten highly trained 1500 m and mile runners (mean 1500 m best: 4:07.6 ± 3.7 s; mile: 4:27.4 ± 4.1 s) ran on a treadmill at 10 speeds where temporal measures were recorded. Spatiotemporal and spring-mass characteristics and their corresponding variation were calculated within and across speeds. All spatiotemporal measures changed with speed in both groups, but the changes were less substantial in the elites. The elite runners ran with greater approximated vertical forces (+ 0.16 BW) and steeper impact angles (+ 3.1°) across speeds. Moreover, the elites ran with greater leg and vertical stiffnesses (+ 2.1 kN/m and + 3.6 kN/m) across speeds. Neither group changed leg stiffness with increasing speeds, but both groups increased vertical stiffness (1.6 kN/m per km/h), and the elite runners more so (further + 0.4 kN/m per km/h). The elite runners also demonstrated lower variability in their spatiotemporal behavior across speeds. Together, these findings suggested that elite middle distance runners may have distinct global mechanical patterns across running speeds, where they behave as stiffer, less variable spring-mass systems compared to highly trained, but sub-elite counterparts.

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Assessments of Mechanical Stiffness and Relationships to Performance Determinants in Middle-Distance Runners

Cited by 20 publications

References 25 publications

Patellar and Achilles Tendon Stiffness in Elite Soccer Players Assessed Using Myotonometric Measurements

Patellar and Achilles Tendon Stiffness in Elite Soccer Players Assessed Using Myotonometric Measurements

The effects of beetroot juice supplementation on exercise economy, rating of perceived exertion and running mechanics in elite distance runners: A double-blinded, randomized study

Bouncing behavior of sub-four minute milers

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