Linear and non-linear analysis of lower limb joints angle variability during running at different speeds

Objective: This study was aimed to investigate the impact of various running speeds on linear and non-linear variability of the hip, knee and ankle joints movement.

Methods: Twenty-three collegiate athletes (13 females, 10 males, age 22.04 ± 3.43 years, body mass 62.14 ± 9.26 kg, height 168.29 ± 7.06 cm) ran at preferred running speed, 20% lower, and 20% higher than preferred running speed on a treadmill and their lower limbs joints kinematics were recorded using myoMOTION system at the sampling frequency of 200 Hz. The repeated measure analysis of variance test was adopted to investigate the linear (mean and standard deviation) and non-linear (Lyapunov exponent) variability of the hip, knee and ankle angle in sagittal, frontal and transverse planes throughout the running cycle.

Results: No significant difference was observed between the lower limbs joint angles variability in linear analysis, while the Lyapunov exponent of the hip (p = .008, ηp2 = .338), knee (p = .002, ηp2 = .249) joints in the sagittal plane significantly increased as running speed increased.

Conclusions: Findings of this study revealed that the hip and knee joints respond with more freedom of movement in the sagittal plane while walking speed increases, although nonlinear approaches were the only ones capable of detecting it. Given that speed changes might reduce body stability, it appears that these joints are attempting to maintain body stability by regulating internal body system perturbations by increasing their variability.