587 MEP148 – A grounded running technique reduces external pelvic acceleration

AbstractBackground Pelvic floor dysfunction is prevalent among postpartum women and runners and is a barrier to mothers returning to running after childbirth. Gradually loading the pelvis through alterations in running technique, and monitoring with wearable devices, may prevent development of such dysfunction and aid in the design of accessible, ecologically valid interventions.Objective To investigate the effect of changes in running technique, speed and stride frequency on external measures of loading at the pelvis, using wearable devices.Design Cross-sectional, randomised repeated measures.Setting Laboratory-based.Participants 19 female recreational runners (age: 28.8 ± 7.3 years, mass: 64.9 ± 9.6 kg, height: 1.64 ± 0.69 m) were recruited via social media and the local area. Interventions Participants engaged in 5 x 30 second, randomised treadmill running conditions at two self-selected speeds. Conditions undertaken at preferred running velocity (8.5 ± 1.0 km/h): habitual running and running at ±10% preferred stride frequency. Conditions undertaken at a slower, self-selected running speed (7.0 ± 0.5 km/h): grounded running (running without a flight phase) and slow running.Main Outcome Measurements External pelvic acceleration metrics, specifically: average and instantaneous jerk, peak acceleration and area under acceleration curve were calculated for 20 steps. Spatiotemporal metrics and cumulative load values (per km) for each variable were also calculated. Results Grounded running produced the lowest average jerk (20.17 ± 5.98 g/s), instantaneous jerk (35.15 ± 9.77 g/s), peak acceleration (2.51 ± 0.42 g) and area under acceleration curve (0.47 ± 0.03 g⋅s) compared to all other conditions (p < 0.05). Cumulative load metrics demonstrated greater variability between conditions and variables. Conclusions A grounded running technique reduced external pelvic acceleration metrics and may be a useful strategy to gradually reintroduce postpartum women to running after birth. Considerations for running distance and its impact on cumulative load may be warranted for individual runners.