Running biomechanical evaluation: multicenter study to comprehend the movement with implication in the injury prevention and performance improvement

• Grant number: 11/22142-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: February 25, 2012
• End date: June 24, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Duarte
• Grantee: Cristina Porto Alves Alcantara
• Supervisor: Reed Ferber
• Host Institution: Escola de Educação Física e Esporte (EEFE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Calgary, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 10/02878-5 - Comparative analysis of the lower limbs distribution joint torque during the run in adults and elderly runners, BP.MS

Abstract

The running is one of the physical activities that have been growing the number of participants, independently of age and gender. As any other modality, when practice without orientation or preparation, can cause injuries. These injuries usually happen because of repetitive movements that overload the musculoskeletal structures due to: muscular unbalance, limitations in the range of motion, lack of coordination and other causes which generate kinetic and kinematic changes in the running pattern. Unfortunately these biomechanics factors which can predispose any kind of injury are not well-known. For this purpose, a multicenter study will be conducted (Canada, United States, New Zealand and Brazil) to produce a database with a lot of runners, trying to identify kinetic and kinematic patterns that can predispose specific injuries. It will allow the prevention of those injuries as well as a better performance. As a multicenter study, it becomes fundamental that the method be standardized (data collect and analysis). The Canadian group is the leader and have already initialized the project, with a reasonable database already collected and analyzed, so the other groups will follow the same method that have been already utilizing by the Canadian group. Because of this we are requesting a two months internship to the student Cristina Porto Alves Alcantara, allowing the patronization and the achievement of this Brazilian collaboration in this study, supervised by PhD. Marcos Duarte. The student who is applying for the scholarship have been developing a research whose the purpose is analyze the differences between elderly and adults runners kinetic and kinematic patterns, looking for the best information to training prescription and seeking for best performances and avoid injuries. Moreover, this project will be done with an instrumented treadmill that will be installed just in the next year in our laboratory and have already been used in Canadian laboratory, with an extensive experience. This is a great opportunity to standardize and train the data collect and data analyze as well as create a good discussion and growth in knowledge in her master's theme (biomechanics of running), as this Canadian group and this researcher have a extensive experience in this subject, also willing to take contributions. (AU)