A comparison of different foot strike pattern assessment methods

Foot strike patterns can be used to determine the type of footwear that is most appropriate for a specific runner [1]. However, there is no standard for measuring and classifying an individual.s characteristic strike pattern during running [2]. Moreover, the relationship among different assessment methods is unknown. Therefore the objective of this study was to examine the relationship among three methods of quantifying ones foot strike pattern: 3D kinematics, 2D video, and self-assessment. Kinematic and video data of the lower leg was collected from 50 recreational runners during 20 treadmill steps. Following data collection, participants placed themselves into one of four frontal plane running categories and one of three sagittal plane running categories. Frontal plane kinematic data was classified according to the range of eversion from heel strike to maximum eversion (pronation angle) during the stance phase. Sagittal plane kinematic data was classified according to the foot angle relative to the horizontal (sole angle) at heel strike. Video data in both the frontal and sagittal plane was assessed by an external investigator based on the 2D angle between the shank and foot. Cohen´s weighted K was calculated to determine the level of agreement between the three assessment methods. There was moderate agreement between the 3D kinematics and 2D video assessments in both the frontal plane (Table 1), Kw = 0.539, p < 0.00, and sagittal plane, Kw = 0.502, p < 0.00. The agreement with self-assessment in the frontal and sagittal planes was poor for both 3D kinematics and 2D video. The lack of agreement with self-assessment methods was not surprising considering previous literature [3]. However, the lack of a strong agreement between the kinematic and video assessment suggests that a 2D video analysis may not be appropriate when trying to determine foot strike patterns. In conclusion, a standardized definition of foot strike patterns in both the frontal and sagittal planes is needed to improve assessment methods, as well as to establish industry benchmarks.
© Copyright 2014 International Calgary Running Symposium, August 14-17, 2014. All rights reserved.

Bibliographic Details
Subjects:
Notations:endurance sports technical and natural sciences
Published in:International Calgary Running Symposium, August 14-17, 2014
Language:English
Published: 2014
Online Access:https://fis.dshs-koeln.de/portal/files/217822/upload.pdf
Pages:110-111
Document types:congress proceedings
Level:advanced