Analysis of the Relationship between Step Angle and Step Rate during Running: Implication for Rehabilitation

Abstract

In running, step rate and step angle are important, but the relationship between the two parameters is not clear in the literature. This study aimed to investigate the effect of step rate manipulation on step angle in running. A group of twenty healthy recreational runners aged between 30 and 59 years who regularly run 15–90 km per week were recruited. Kinematic data were recorded using a motion capture system while running on a treadmill. Participants maintained a self-selected speed and then altered their step rate using a metronome and completed three thirty-second trials at the preferred step rate, 10% above the preferred step rate and 10% below the preferred step rate. The results showed that the step angle is not significantly correlated with the step rate and kept at roughly 37 degrees at the preferred step rate and 10% lower than the preferred step rate but increased to 42 deg when the step rate increased to 10% of the preferred step rate. The step angles were not significantly different between the male and female or between sides. This finding provides an understanding of the association of step rate re-training on swing phase parameters.