Examining the Most Effective Method to Reduce Running Ground Contact Time
- Conditions
- Healthy Runners
- Registration Number
- NCT06988709
- Lead Sponsor
- Keller Army Community Hospital
- Brief Summary
The purpose of our study is to establish the most effective running retraining technique to decrease ground contact time. This will be investigated by applying three running retraining conditions and assessing the change in ground contact time and other biomechanical variables between the runner's baseline running and each retraining technique.
- Detailed Description
The purpose of our study is to establish the most effective running retraining technique to decrease ground contact time utilizing three common running retraining methods in healthy runners.
The first aim will be to apply three running retraining conditions and assess the change in ground contact time and other spatiotemporal and biomechanical variables between the runner's baseline running and each retraining condition.
The three running conditions will be at the participant's self-selected speed corresponding to "a comfortable run for 30 minutes". The conditions will be, condition 1: a verbal cue to "pull your foot off the ground as quickly as you can," condition 2: a metronome set to 10% above their preferred cadence found during the baseline run, and condition 3: visual feedback to reduce their ground contact time through observing that number in real time provided by a commercial IMU. The participant will attempt to lower that to 5% below their baseline run ground contact time by being given that target number on a sheet of paper.
The second aim will be to examine the effect of the 3 running conditions on the runner's level of exertion and difficulty using the Omni Rate of Perceived Exertional Scale, the Rate of Perceived Difficulty, and ranking the techniques from 1 to 3 on which they felt was most natural.
We hypothesize that each method will reduce ground contact time, but condition 3 providing continuous visual feedback will result in the most consistent decrease to ground contact time across the runners and will be perceived as the easiest to perform.
Overall, this study will provide clinicians with a running retraining intervention that has been objectively shown to decrease ground contact time and provide researchers with a method to further investigate its effect on running injuries.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 30
- Military Service Member or USMA cadet between the ages of 17-60
- Run at least 2 miles three times per week for the past 3 months
- Able to run for at least 15 continuous minutes at a self-selected speed
- Fluent in the English language to read and provide informed consent and follow study instructions
- Lower extremity or low back pain in the previous 3 months
- Lower extremity or low back surgery in the previous 6 months
- Self-reported pregnancy or given birth within the last 6 months
- Currently on a profile that restricts or limits running
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- SINGLE_GROUP
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Ground Contact Time Within a single session, measured pre-intervention (baseline) and during each running condition intervention The amount of time in milliseconds that the foot remains in contact with the ground while running. GCT will be measured through the RunScribe device.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Step Rate Within a single session, measured pre-intervention (baseline) and during each running condition intervention Number of steps per minute that the participant takes in one minute while running.
Average Vertical Loading Rate (AVLR) Within a single session, measured pre-intervention (baseline) and during each running condition intervention Measured in Bodyweights/second. Total interval considered for loading rate is the start of stance phase through the impact peak location. We will calculate the average loading rate from 20% of the impact peak value to 80% of the impact peak magnitude.
Braking Impulse Within a single session, measured pre-intervention (baseline) and during each running condition intervention Kg\*m/s. The impulse associated with the deceleration while running.
Step Length Within a single session, measured pre-intervention (baseline) and during each running condition intervention The distance measured in centimeters while running from one foot strike to the next foot strike.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Keller Army Community Hospital
🇺🇸West Point, New York, United States