Background: While there is substantial information available regarding expected biomechanical adaptations associated with adult running-related injuries, less is known about adolescent gait profiles that may influence injury development.
Research questions: Which biomechanical profiles are associated with prevalent musculoskeletal lower extremity injuries among adolescent runners, and how do these profiles compare across injury types and body regions?
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 149 injured adolescents (110 F; 39 M) seen at a hospital-affiliated injured runner's clinic between the years 2016-2021. Biomechanical data were obtained from 2-dimensional video analyses and an instrumented treadmill system. Multivariate analyses of variance covarying for gender and body mass index were used to compare continuous biomechanical measures, and Chi-square analyses were used to compare categorical biomechanical variables across injury types and body regions. Spearman's rho correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationship of significant outcomes.
Results: Patients with bony injuries had significantly higher maximum vertical ground reaction forces (bony: 1.87 body weight [BW] vs. soft tissue: 1.79BW, p = 0.05), and a higher proportion of runners with contralateral pelvic drop at midstance (χ2 =5.3, p = 0.02). Maximum vertical ground reaction forces and pelvic drop were significantly yet weakly correlated (ρ = 0.20, p = 0.01). Foot strike patterns differed across injured body regions, with a higher proportion of hip and knee injury patients presenting with forefoot strike patterns (χ2 =22.0, p = 0.01).
Significance: These biomechanical factors may represent risk factors for injuries sustained by young runners. Clinicians may consider assessing these gait adaptations when treating injured adolescent patients.
Keywords: Jogging; Kinematics; Kinetics; Running-related injury; Youth.
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