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Effect of Running Speed on Lower Leg Muscle Activation and Tibial Bone Load
Koning, S.J. de (2025) Effect of Running Speed on Lower Leg Muscle Activation and Tibial Bone Load.
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| Abstract: | Running is a very popular sport, but it is also associated with a high incidence of lower extremity overuse injuries, with the tibia being the most commonly affected location. Gaining insight into tibial loading and its underlying contributors, such as muscle activation, can improve our understanding of the origins behind these injuries and support the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies. This study investigated the effect of running speed on tibial loading and muscle activation of the tibialis anterior, soleus, gastrocnemius medialis, and gastrocnemius lateralis during the stance and swing phases. Nine subjects ran intervals at four different speeds (8, 10, 12, and 14 km/h) on a force plate-instrumented treadmill, while data were simultaneously collected using a motion capture system, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and EMG electrodes. Statistical analysis using Linear Mixed Models (LMMs) showed that, internal muscle forces, external impact forces, and total tibial bone load (TBL) increased significantly (p < 0.005) with speed. For every 1 km/h increase, peak internal force rose by 0.156 ± 0.011 BW, external force by 0.050 ± 0.005 BW, and total TBL by 0.192 ± 0.016 BW. The ratio between internal and external forces increased with speed, while peak timing remained unaffected. Muscle activation increased significantly (p < 0.005) with running speed for all measured muscles. For every 1 km/h increase in speed, tibialis anterior activation increased by 0.107 ± 0.011, soleus by 0.059 ± 0.009, gastrocnemius lateralis by 0.101 ± 0.011, and gastrocnemius medialis by 0.041 ± 0.008. This indicates that the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius lateralis showed the largest relative increases, while the soleus and gastrocnemius medialis exhibited more moderate changes. Because internal muscle force and external impact force increase at different rates with running speed, their ratio is speed-dependent and shows an increase of 0.028 ± 0.006 per 1 km/h. This ratio could be used to estimate internal muscle forces alongside estimated external impact forces from wearable sensors, enabling an overall estimation of total tibial loading. Such an approach may facilitate easier and more accessible monitoring of loading in real-world settings and improve research into overuse injuries. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Subject: | 44 medicine |
| Programme: | Biomedical Engineering MSc (66226) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/106507 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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