Running Gait

Project
Katie, Lily, Trinity & Ryan
 Introduction
The Running Gait Cycle: is a cycle that begins when one foot make contacts with the ground
and ends with the same foot making contact with the ground again.

Includes 6 different phases; The Initial Contact Phase, Mid-stance Phase, Heel Off Phase, Toe
Off Phase, Float Phase and Swing Phase.

In an athletic situation, this cycle and the basic running gait cycle are vital to the skill,
development, and injury prevention in athletes of all levels.

Proper technique is necessary to prevent injury and propel an athlete further into more
difficult exercises. It is important to build off the basic flexion and extension of the hip, knee,
ankle, and metatarsals on the sagittal
The Initial Contact Phase is the initial contact during
running, lateral heel contacts the ground with the foot in
a slightly supinated position. This occurs as the leg
swings toward the line of progression in the midline
(Dugan, Bhat).

The Midstance Phase is when the

total weight bearing surface of the foot
is in contact with the walking surface.
The Heel Off Phase is when the heel
leaves the surface moving the foot into
plantarflexion and shifting body weight
directly over the metatarsal heads.

The Toe Off Phase is an extension of the heel off as

the toes lift off the ground and the runner begins
to enter the Float Phase.
The float phase is when the athlete
is completely in the air without any
connection to the ground and only
lasts for a fleeting moment.
Swing phase includes early, mid,
and late swing.

a.) The early swing brings the leg

from behind where it has just lifted
off the ground and fully extendeds

b.) The mid swing bring that leg

that was fully extended to the mid
zone, at mid swing, of the body
with the hip extended and the knee
flexed.

c.) The late swing phase involves a

forward movement caused by
flexion in the hip and knee. Once
the late swing phase has finished,
the cycle goes momentarily back
into float before beginning the
contact phase again.
 YouTube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOLS81iBpQo
 Body Lean
Measure from the ear to the
greater trochanter.
Barefoot
Body Lean
Measure from the ear
to the greater
trochanter.
With Shoes.
Center of Gravity
Vertical line from heel of landing foot at midstance versus vertical line from trochanter to the ear
Body Angle in Drive Phase
Greater trochanter to the ear versus a vertical line
Alignment of ASIS
ASIS from a front view
Pelvic Tilt Angle
Angle of Pelvic bone
with and without
shoes.
Hip Extension
Femur to femur with neither foot being supported by the ground.
Knee Flexion in Unsupported Leg
Knee Extension in Landing Leg
Tibial Rotation
Position of the tibia in relation to the femur of the non supported Leg in drive phase.
Supported Leg and knee

Valgus angle
Ankle Dorsi Flexion
Foot Positions
This slide will not show up on our presentation but someone needs to briefly
discuss our analysis
In the Swing Phase maximum knee flexion is on average 90 when running, however a highly trained athlete in a full sprint may

exhibit up to 130 of maximum knee flexion. Our athletes knee flexes 107 barefoot and 108

We filmed the athlete running with no shoes from the same angles in order to see what the athletes body uses intuitively to

protect itself and it shows when the athlete is barefoot.

In proper running mechanics the knee flexes to approximately 45 during the absorption period of Stance Phase. This is followed

by knee extension to an average of 25. In the Absorption Phase the athletes foot is flexed at 81 and the knee extension is at 143.
 Conclusion
- In our project we analyzed our runners form and body mechanics and found which parts of
their performance could be improved so not to cause possible injuries.
- One movement we noticed while watching her run from the posterior view was that when her
foot made contact with the ground the knee would move laterally particularly in the patella
region.
- In order to correct our runners form we would advise her to be sure her knee stays over her
foot, keeping hips and knees in line. We would also advise her to strengthen her medial
muscles within her thighs, so the leg is stabilized and wont shift laterally.
- Another improper mechanism we observed was the arch in our athletes back. This sway back,
that is present both when stationary and running can cause issues in the muscles of the leg and
back overtime. It can also cause disruption in body lean while running.
- We analyzed her stride length. One of our sources that focused on Stride Length in athletes
stated that many runners did not met their full capacity of speed, as they were below their
maximum stride length potential.
- Stride length can increase distance covered and causes the athlete to run faster. Professional
runners have 80 or above degrees stride length, while our runner has between 68 and 70
degrees.
 Works cited
- Dugan, Sheila A., and Krishna P. Bhat. "Biomechanics and Analysis of Running Gait." PDF file,

2005.

- Floyd, R. T. Manual of Structural Kinesiology. Nineteenth ed., e-book ed., New York,

McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.

- McGinnis, Peter M. Biomechanics of Sports and Exercise. Third ed., e-book ed., Champaign,

Human Kinetics, 2013.

- Phillips, Matt. "Introduction to Running Biomechanics." RunnnersConnect,

runnersconnect.net/running-injury- prevention/running-biomechanics/. Accessed 17 Feb.

2017.