The Effect of a Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill on Running Gait Length, Imbalance and Stride Angle
Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of South Carolina Aiken, Aiken, SC 29801, USA
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Sports 2018, 6(3), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6030058
Received: 4 June 2018
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Revised: 22 June 2018
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Accepted: 26 June 2018
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Published: 29 June 2018
Running on a non-motorized, curved-deck treadmill is thought to improve gait mechanics. It is not known, though, whether the change in gait carries over to running on a motorized treadmill on level ground. To determine the effect of running on a curved non-motorized treadmill (CNT) on gait characteristics, measured during a subsequent bout of running on a traditional motorized treadmill (TMT), sixteen healthy college-aged participants, aged (mean ± SD) 20.4 ± 1.6 years, volunteered to have their gait analyzed while running on a TMT and CNT. After familiarization with, and a warm-up on, both treadmills, each subject completed five 4-min bouts of running, alternating between traditional motorized and curved non-motorized treadmills: TMT-1, CNT-1, TMT-2, CNT-2, and TMT-3. Variables of interest included step length (m), stride length (m), imbalance score (%), and stride angle (°), and were measured using Optogait gait analysis equipment. We found differences in gait characteristics among TMT-1, TMT-2, and TMT-3, which can be attributed to running on the CNT. The results show that running on a CNT resulted in significant changes in gait characteristics (step length, stride length, imbalance score and stride angle). These findings suggest that running on a CNT can significantly influence running gait.
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Keywords:
treadmill; curved; running gait; imbalance; stride angle; stride length; step length
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MDPI and ACS Style
Hatchett, A.; Armstrong, K.; Parr, B.; Crews, M.; Tant, C. The Effect of a Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill on Running Gait Length, Imbalance and Stride Angle. Sports 2018, 6, 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6030058
AMA Style
Hatchett A, Armstrong K, Parr B, Crews M, Tant C. The Effect of a Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill on Running Gait Length, Imbalance and Stride Angle. Sports. 2018; 6(3):58. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6030058
Chicago/Turabian StyleHatchett, Andrew, Kaitlyn Armstrong, Brian Parr, Mallory Crews, and Charlie Tant. 2018. "The Effect of a Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill on Running Gait Length, Imbalance and Stride Angle" Sports 6, no. 3: 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6030058
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