However, these results vary between different levels of footwear and running speeds. The RunScribe metrics demonstrated low to moderate positive associations ( r = 0.40–0.62 p < 0.05) with AVLR across most footwear and speed conditions.ĭiscussion: Our findings indicate that the commercially available Plantiga IMU is comparable to a tibia-mounted IMU when acting as a surrogate for AVLR. Conversely, the relationship between AVLR and PPA (Plantiga) was high in the minimalist ( r = 0.75 p ≤ 0.001) condition and moderate in the neutral ( r = 0.50 p < 0.05) and maximalist ( r = 0.57 p < 0.01) footwear. Results: The AVLR had a high positive association with PPA (IMeasureU-Tibia) in the neutral and maximalist ( r = 0.70–0.72 p ≤ 0.001) shoes and in all running speed conditions ( r = 0.71–0.83 p ≤ 0.001), but low positive association in the minimalist ( r = 0.47 p < 0.05) footwear condition. Pearson correlations were calculated for average vertical loading rate (AVLR) and PPA at each IMU location. Four IMUs were affixed at the distal tibia (IMeasureU-Tibia), shoelaces (RunScribe and IMeasureU-Shoe), and insole (Plantiga) of the right shoe. Participants ran at their preferred speed in three footwear conditions (neutral, minimalist, and maximalist), and at three speeds (preferred, +10%, −10%) in the neutral running shoes. Materials and Methods: Healthy runners underwent a biomechanical running analysis on an instrumented treadmill. Secondary aims were to determine the effect of footwear, running speed, and IMU location on PPA. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of two commercially available IMUs during running. However, few devices have established criterion validity. Wearable technology has made it possible for runners to quantify biomechanical loads (e.g., peak positive acceleration PPA) using commercially available inertial measurement units (IMUs). Introduction: Most running-related injuries are believed to be caused by abrupt changes in training load, compounded by biomechanical movement patterns. 4Biomedical and Mobile Health Technology Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.3School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States.2Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.1Menrva Research Group, Schools of Mechatronic Systems Engineering and Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Metro Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Hannigan 1, Ryan McCann 3 and Carlo Menon 1,4