Wearable technology assessing running biomechanics and prospective running-related injuries in Active Duty Soldiers

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine if running biomechanical variables measured by wearable technology were prospectively associated with running injuries in Active Duty Soldiers. A total of 171 Soldiers wore a shoe pod that collected data on running foot strike pattern, step rate, step length and contact time for 6 weeks. Running-related injuries were determined by medical record review 12 months post-study enrollment. Differences in running biomechanics between injured and non-injured runners were compared using independent t-tests or ANCOVA for continuous variables and chi-square analyses for the association of categorical variables. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were used to estimate the time to a running-related injury. Risk factors were carried forward to estimate hazard ratios using Cox proportional hazard regression models. Forty-one participants (24%) sustained a running-related injury. Injured participants had a lower step rate than non-injured participants, but step rate did not have a significant effect on time to injury. Participants with the longest contact time were at a 2.25 times greater risk for a running-related injury; they were also relatively slower, heavier, and older. Concomitant with known demographic risk factors for injury, contact time may be an additional indicator of a running-related injury risk in Active Duty Soldiers.

KEYWORDS:

• Running injuries
• running biomechanics
• wearable technology
• contact time
• step rate

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Gretchen Ruhe for her assistance in protocol development and Emily Damschen for her assistance with data reduction.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Army, the Department of Defense, or the US Government.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2023.2208568

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP), Defense Health Program JPC-5 under grant number [W911QY-16-1-0003].