Browsing by Author "Sackey, Saint Andrews"

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    The effects of an eight-week customised endurance-training programme on running kinematics and impact associated with fatigue in recreational runners
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Sackey, Saint Andrews; Venter, Ranel; Schutte, Kurt H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Sport Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background: The unrestrained and easily accessible nature of running has led to an exponential increase in participation in running. However, the incidence rate of injuries is a concern. Loading and fatigability have been linked as underlying injury risk factors. It has been proposed that runners would automatically fine-tune their kinematics after exposure to training to be more efficient for better performance and reduce the occurrence of injuries. However, there is no evidence to support this hypothesis under fatigued conditions. Aim: The current study investigated the “self-optimisation hypothesis” under fatigued conditions. I again determined the influence of fatigue on novel running parameters that have previously been associated with running injury to provide foundational information on interventions for injury prevention and better performance. Methods: A pre-post interventional approach was deployed for the current study. Recreational runners (n = 40) were recruited from the Stellenbosch Boland community for the study. The study was carried out in two phases. In the phase I, the participants were subjected to a running fatigue protocol which involved running at incremental speed to volitional exhaustion on a motorised treadmill. Running impact variables at the tibia, lower back and upper back were assessed using tri-axial accelerometers whereas spatio-temporal, and upper extremity kinematic parameters were collected with an Opto-Gait photoelectric system and 2D video analysis respectively before and after the run. In the phase II, the runners were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group underwent eight-weeks of endurance training while the control group continued with their normal running routine. After the eight-weeks, all the participants were subjected to the same running fatigue protocol and measurements as in the phase I. Results: Running induced fatigue resulted in significant increases in contact times, forward trunk lean, and body load (p ˂ 0.05). Running impact magnitude at the tibia, external distribution of impact, stride angle, step length, flight times, and arm carriage remained unchanged after fatigue (p ˃ 0.05). The eight weeks of endurance training caused reductions in step length, forward trunk lean, and contact times. Step frequency on the other hand increased after the eight weeks of endurance training. There were no significant differences in body load, and running impact variables. The changes in the running kinematics under fatigued conditions after the intervention was accompanied with a significant reduction in the oxygen cost of transport. Conclusions: Running-induced fatigue resulted in changes in some running kinematic parameters. Such changes are accompanied with increases in the oxygen cost of transport. An exposure to eight weeks of endurance training resulted in significant alterations in the kinematic parameters for better efficiency under fatigued conditions with a corresponding decrease in the oxygen cost of transport.