Effects of different habitual foot strike patterns on in vivo kinematics of the first metatarsophalangeal joint during shod running-a statistical parametric mapping study

Kaicheng Wu; Xiaole Sun; Dongqiang Ye; Faning Zhang; Shen Zhang; Weijie Fu

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2023.1251324

Effects of different habitual foot strike patterns on in vivo kinematics of the first metatarsophalangeal joint during shod running-a statistical parametric mapping study

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 Sep 6:11:1251324. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1251324. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Kaicheng Wu¹, Xiaole Sun^{1

2}, Dongqiang Ye^{1

3}, Faning Zhang¹, Shen Zhang^{1

4}, Weijie Fu^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
² School of Sports and Health, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, China.
³ Shanghai Warrior Shoes Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China.
⁴ School of Athletic Performance, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Existing studies on the biomechanical characteristics of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (1st MTPJ) during shod running are limited to sagittal plane assessment and rely on skin marker motion capture, which can be affected by shoes wrapping around the 1st MTPJ and may lead to inaccurate results. This study aims to investigate the in vivo effects of different habitual foot strike patterns (FSP) on the six degrees of freedom (6DOF) values of the 1st MTPJ under shod condition by utilizing a dual-fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS). Long-distance male runners with habitual forefoot strike (FFS group, n = 15) and rearfoot strike (RFS group, n = 15) patterns were recruited. All participants underwent foot computed tomography (CT) scan to generate 3D models of their foot. The 6DOF kinematics of the 1st MTPJ were collected using a DFIS at 100 Hz when participants performed their habitual FSP under shod conditions. Independent t-tests and one-dimensional statistical parametric mapping (1-d SPM) were employed to analyze the differences between the FFS and RFS groups' 1st MTPJ 6DOF kinematic values during the stance phase. FFS exhibited greater superior translation (3.5-4.9 mm, p = 0.07) during 51%-82% of the stance and higher extension angle (8.4°-10.1°, p = 0.031) during 65%-75% of the stance in the 1st MTPJ than RFS. Meanwhile, FFS exhibited greater maximum superior translation (+3.2 mm, p = 0.022), maximum valgus angle (+6.1°, p = 0.048) and varus-valgus range of motion (ROM) (+6.5°, p = 0.005) in the 1st MTPJ during stance. The greater extension angle of the 1st MTPJ in the late stance suggested that running with FFS may enhance the propulsive effect. However, the higher maximum valgus angle and the ROM of varus-valgus in FFS may potentially lead to the development of hallux valgus.

Keywords: 1st metatarsophalangeal joint; forefoot strike; in vivo kinematics; rearfoot strike; shod running.

Grants and funding

The research was supported by the following funding sources: the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2019YFF0302100), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12272238), and the “Outstanding Young Scholar” Program of Shanghai Municipal.