Footfall-Dependent Biomechanical Differences in Walking and Running

OBJECTIVES This study investigated biomechanical differences in lower limb joint motion, muscle activation, and plantar pressure associated with various footfall patterns during walking and running. METHODS Using inertial measurement units (IMUs), electromyography (EMG), and plantar pressure sensors...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chong-Hoon Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Asian Society of Kinesiology 2025-07-01
Series:The Asian Journal of Kinesiology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ajkinesiol.org/upload/pdf/ajk-2025-27-3-101.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849768422484738048
author Chong-Hoon Lee
author_facet Chong-Hoon Lee
author_sort Chong-Hoon Lee
collection DOAJ
description OBJECTIVES This study investigated biomechanical differences in lower limb joint motion, muscle activation, and plantar pressure associated with various footfall patterns during walking and running. METHODS Using inertial measurement units (IMUs), electromyography (EMG), and plantar pressure sensors, data were collected from three healthy female participants during treadmill walking and running trials involving heel, midfoot, and forefoot contact conditions. RESULTS Results indicated that running elicited greater joint range of motion across the hip, knee, and ankle, particularly in the sagittal and transverse planes. Tibialis anterior exhibited the highest levels of muscle activation across all conditions, with especially elevated activity during running. Plantar pressure values were higher during heel contact in walking and forefoot contact in running, suggesting increased plantar forces in these conditions. CONCLUSIONS Although no statistical analyses were conducted, the observed trends suggest that footfall strategies influence joint loading and neuromuscular control. These findings may inform the design of targeted gait interventions, athletic training programs, and rehabilitation protocols. Further research with larger and more diverse samples is needed to validate and expand upon these preliminary observations.
format Article
id doaj-art-a2e27bb902314f2f98842b25bb207f6f
institution DOAJ
issn 2586-5595
2586-5552
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Asian Society of Kinesiology
record_format Article
series The Asian Journal of Kinesiology
spelling doaj-art-a2e27bb902314f2f98842b25bb207f6f2025-08-20T03:03:49ZengAsian Society of KinesiologyThe Asian Journal of Kinesiology2586-55952586-55522025-07-0127310110610.15758/ajk.2025.27.3.101656Footfall-Dependent Biomechanical Differences in Walking and RunningChong-Hoon Lee0 Department of Sport Science, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of KoreaOBJECTIVES This study investigated biomechanical differences in lower limb joint motion, muscle activation, and plantar pressure associated with various footfall patterns during walking and running. METHODS Using inertial measurement units (IMUs), electromyography (EMG), and plantar pressure sensors, data were collected from three healthy female participants during treadmill walking and running trials involving heel, midfoot, and forefoot contact conditions. RESULTS Results indicated that running elicited greater joint range of motion across the hip, knee, and ankle, particularly in the sagittal and transverse planes. Tibialis anterior exhibited the highest levels of muscle activation across all conditions, with especially elevated activity during running. Plantar pressure values were higher during heel contact in walking and forefoot contact in running, suggesting increased plantar forces in these conditions. CONCLUSIONS Although no statistical analyses were conducted, the observed trends suggest that footfall strategies influence joint loading and neuromuscular control. These findings may inform the design of targeted gait interventions, athletic training programs, and rehabilitation protocols. Further research with larger and more diverse samples is needed to validate and expand upon these preliminary observations.http://ajkinesiol.org/upload/pdf/ajk-2025-27-3-101.pdffoot strike patterngait speedlower-limb kinematics
spellingShingle Chong-Hoon Lee
Footfall-Dependent Biomechanical Differences in Walking and Running
The Asian Journal of Kinesiology
foot strike pattern
gait speed
lower-limb kinematics
title Footfall-Dependent Biomechanical Differences in Walking and Running
title_full Footfall-Dependent Biomechanical Differences in Walking and Running
title_fullStr Footfall-Dependent Biomechanical Differences in Walking and Running
title_full_unstemmed Footfall-Dependent Biomechanical Differences in Walking and Running
title_short Footfall-Dependent Biomechanical Differences in Walking and Running
title_sort footfall dependent biomechanical differences in walking and running
topic foot strike pattern
gait speed
lower-limb kinematics
url http://ajkinesiol.org/upload/pdf/ajk-2025-27-3-101.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT chonghoonlee footfalldependentbiomechanicaldifferencesinwalkingandrunning