Differences in Running Biomechanics between Young, Healthy Men and Women Carrying External Loads
Abstract
During U.S. Army basic combat training (BCT), women are more prone to lower-extremity musculoskeletal injuries, including stress fracture of the tibia, with injury rates two to four times higher than those in men. There is evidence to suggest that the different injury rates are, in part, due to sex-specific differences in running biomechanics, including lower-extremity joint kinematics and kinetics, which are not fully understood, particularly when running with external load. To address this knowledge gap, we collected computed tomography images and motion capture data from 41 young, healthy adults running on an instrumented treadmill at 3.0 m/s with loads of 0.0 kg, 11.3 kg, or 22.7 kg. Using individualized computational models, we quantified the running biomechanics and estimated tibial SF risk over 10 weeks of BCT, for each load condition. Across all load conditions, compared to men, women had a significantly smaller flexion angle at the trunk (16.9 percent to 24.6 percent) but larger flexion angles at the ankle (14.0 percent to 14.7 percent). Under load-carriage conditions, women had a larger flexion angle at the hip (17.7 percent to 23.5 percent). In addition, women had a significantly smaller hip extension moment (11.8 percent to 20.0 percent) and ankle plantarflexion moment (10.2 percent to 14.3 percent), but larger joint reaction forces (JRFs) at the hip (16.1 percent to 22.0 percent), knee (9.1 percent to 14.2 percent), and ankle (8.2 percent to 12.9 percent). Consequently, we found that women had a greater increase in tibial strain and SF risk than men as load increases, indicating higher susceptibility to injuries. When load carriage increased from 0.0 kg to 22.7 kg, SF risk increased by about 250 percent in women but only 133 percent in men. These results provide quantitative evidence to support the Army's new training and testing doctrine, as it shifts to a more personalized approach that shall account for sex and individual differences.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 03, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1212559
Entities
People
- Adhitya V. Subramani
- Aravind Sundaramurthy
- Jaques Reifman
- Jose E. Rubio
- Junfei Tong
- Michael Baggaley
- Vivek Bhaskar Kote
- W. Brent Edwards
Organizations
- Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
- University of Calgary