Introduction: A Qualitative Analysis of Running
In the 1970's, thousands of people took to the road with a new trend of exercise----running. It was fairly easy; just put one foot in front of the other as fast as you can and go as far as you can. Feel the burn in your chest? The sweat trickling down your face? The throb in your knees as your foot pounds into the ground with every step? Well then, you're exercising! You’re running! Since then, running has become a dominant factor in sports and fitness; a factor so prevalent that the number of musculoskeletal injuries due to running has also increased over the last quarter century. These chronic injuries are usually due to overuse, improper training techniques, or a combination of the two. By using the results of other biomechanists’ studies, one can extrapolate an idea of what running should look like and what muscles are utilized during the activity. Consequently, changes in technique, strength training, and flexibility training can be made in order to decrease the potential for injury.
Article Summaries
Before analyzing the mechanics of running, it is important to accumulate some of the vast research available for this activity. The following are brief summaries of research articles that study various factors on running.
DeVita (1994) noted the gait cycle is measured in two ways: swing-stance-swing or stance-swing-stance. In this study, EMG activity of six muscles was obtained from four subjects while walking and running. The data was collected while the subjects performed a consecutive swing, stance, swing period of each gait. From this, the swing-to-stance and stance-to-swing period of each gait could be measured. The EMG results showed greater activation levels for 5/6 muscles during the swing-to-stance period. Results concluded that the subjects needed to prepare for the initiation of stance and the application of relatively large external forces and momentums. Therefore, when assessing the human gait, it is best to observe stance-swing-stance.
Jacobs, Bobbert, VanIngen, and Schenau (1993) analyzed the function of mono- and biarticular leg muscles during the stretch-shortening cycle of running at 6 m/s. Kinematics, ground reaction forces and EMG activities were recorded for a single stance phase. First of all, estimates of muscle force were correlated with origin...
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Reference Page
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Jacobs, R., Bobbert, M.F., vanIngen Schenau, G.J. (1993). Function of mono- and biarticular muscles in running, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (vol 25, no 10) pg. 1163-1173.
National Strength and Conditioning Association, Baechle, T.R., editor (1994). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning pg. 293-385. Human Kinetics: New Zealand.
Nig, B., DeBoer, R., and Fisher, V. (1995). A kinematic comparison of overground and treadmill running, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (vol 27, no 1) pg. 98-105.
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The majority of ACL injuries can be defined as ‘non-contact’ (without direct trauma to knee joint), which occur during various sporting activities involving high risk dynamic movements ⁶ ¹¹. The mechanism involved in non-contact ACL injury during sporting activities is commonly attributed to foot planting, pivoting, decelerating or side cutting movements ¹². The need for further investigation into the aforementioned non-contact ACL injury mechanisms and risk factors is facilitated by continuing high incidence rates, long recovery periods and economic burdens ³ ¹¹. The remainder of the current review will primarily look into the association between biomechanics and ...
The production of physical movement in humans requires a close interaction between the central nervous system (CNS) and the skeletal muscles. Understanding the interaction behind the mechanisms of these two forces, and how they are activated to provide the smooth coordinated movements (such as walking or picking up a pencil) of everyday life is essential to the study of motor control. Skeletal muscles require the activation of compartmental motor units that generate their own action potentials, and produce a voltage force within the muscle fibers that can be detected and recorded with the use of a electromyography (EMG). Therefore, the purpose of this lab was to determine the differences between the timing of force production
Scibek, J. S., Gatti, J. M., & Mckenzie, J. I. (2012). Into the Red Zone. Journal of Athletic Training, 47(4), 428-434.
Anderson, D. I., & Sidaway, B. (2013) Kicking biomechanics: Importance of balance. Lower Extremity Review Magazine.
Throughout literature countermovement jumps (CMJ) are seen to be higher in contrast to squat jumps (SJ) (Bobbert et al. 1996; Kubo et al. 1999; Bobbert et al. 2005). However present literature regarding the key potential mechanisms behind why greater muscle forces are seen accelerating the body upwards in CMJ in comparison to SJ is somewhat unclear. A CMJ can be defined as a positioning starting upright, beginning the descending motion in advance of the upward motion in contrast to a SJ where the start position is squatted with no preparatory countermovement (Akl 2013). The higher jump heights seen in CMJ in comparison to SJ are apparent even if at the start of propulsion phase the body configuration is identical (Bobbert et al. 1996). In past literature three main mechanisms have looked to provide an explanation for the greater muscle forces seen in CMJ than the SJ. The first plausible theory is that the muscle stretch in CMJ increases the production of force capability of the contractile machinery (Edman et al. 1978; Ettema et al. 1992; Herzog et al. 2003). Secondly the assumption that the muscle fibres are on the descending limb of their force–length relationship at the start of propulsion in the CMJ and SJ, however in CMJ the stretching of a chain of elastic components, they are not as far past optimum length therefore allowing a greater force over the initial phase of their shortening range, with the stretching of sequences of elastic components, this then causes the storage of elastic energy that is then reutilized in the propulsion phase (Ettema et al. 1992). The final explan...
In order to develop this prosthesis they had to go through two main phases, the analysis of a jogger wearing a standard walking prosthesis and computer simulation of the flexing of the knee on this walking prosthesis. They had to measure rotation, weight bearing, moments, and t...
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Running is a natural form of human locomotion. To many, running is an essential aspect of most sports and is also a simple way that requires little to get exercise anywhere. But because many people have adapted to improper forms of running over time, numerous physical injuries are the results. With the help of understanding the physics behind running, people can learn to run in such a way that expends less energy from the body. Keeping physics in mind may also lead to less injuries and effortless running. Remember, physics can be very helpful when running!
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