Kinematic analysis of road running under motor and cognitive dual-task conditions in young, middle-aged and older experienced and trainer runners

Running has been associated with functional health throughout ageing. Although age-related kinematic changes have been described, how dual-tasking affects running patterns and when these changes occur remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate running kinematics under dual-task conditions in younger, middle-aged, and older adults. Fifteen young, 15 middle-aged and 15 older adults participated in this study and were invited to perform the following conditions: single-task running; motor dual-task, involving grasping a cup of water while running and cognitive dual-task, consisting of solving subtraction problems while running. Dependent variables included stride length, width, duration and velocity, as well as knee and ankle joint angles. Older adults exhibited shorter stride length and duration and reduced knee and ankle range of motion compared with younger and middle-aged groups, who did not differ from each other. Both motor and cognitive dual-tasking significantly interfered with most kinematic variables, particularly reducing stride length and joint motion, and increasing stride width. Motor dual-tasking tended to induce greater disruption than cognitive dual-tasking. These results indicate that older runners present distinct kinematic patterns compared to younger and middle-aged adults, and dual-tasking adversely affects running performance. The observed alterations suggest reduced adaptability of running in older adults when simultaneous tasks are introduced.