The effect of marathon running on the lower extremity kinematics and muscle activities during walking and running tasks.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common injury among runners, and it is thought that abnormal lower extremity biomechanics contribute to its development. However, the relationship between biomechanical changes after a marathon and PFPS injury remains limited. This study aims to investigate whether differences in knee and hip kinematics and lower extremity muscle activities exist in recreational runners before and after a marathon. Additionally, it aims to explore the relationship between these biomechanical changes and the development of PFPS injury. 12 recreational runners participated in the study. Kinematics and muscle activities of the lower extremity were recorded during walking (5 km/h) and running (10 km/h) tasks within 24 hours before and within 5 hours after a marathon. After the marathon, there was a significant decrease in peak knee flexion (walking: p = 0.006; running: p = 0.006) and an increase in peak hip internal rotation (walking: p = 0.026; running: p = 0.015) during the stance phase of both walking and running compared to before the marathon. The study demonstrates a decrease in knee flexion and an increase in hip internal rotation during the stance phase of gait tasks after completing a marathon, which may increase the risk of developing PFPS injury.

Influence of Surface Geometry on Palm and Fist Contact Pressure Distribution During Strikes With the Hand in Automotive Assembly.

The increase in repetitive strain injuries to the hand underscores the need for assessing and preventing musculoskeletal overuse associated with hand-intensive tasks. This study investigates the risk of overload injuries in soft tissue structures of the hand by analyzing the pressure distribution and location of peak pressure in the hand during snap-fit connection assembly in the automotive industry. The influence of the surface geometry of automotive trim components the pressure distribution and force imparted during strikes with the palm and the fist are investigated in a cohort of 30 subjects with extensive experience installing trim parts with snap-fit connections. Using the palm or fist (ulnar hand side) of the dominant hand, the subjects struck a simulation device with a flat, rounded, or edged surface geometry. The average peak force applied was 600 N (±122 N), nearly 3 times the force required to overcome the technical resistance of the snap-fit connector (220 N). Fist strikes exerted a 40% higher mean peak pressure and 18% higher mean pressure than did palm strikes. The pressure distribution in the region of the thenar eminence and soft tissue of the ulnar side of the hand did not differ between fist strikes on flat and edged surfaces. Considering the delicate anatomy of the hand, especially the hypothenar muscles on the ulnar side, assembling connection claps using the fist instead of the palm may prevent repetitive blunt trauma to the sensitive blood vessels and nerves in the palm.

The effect of vibration on kinematics and muscle activation during cycling.

Vibration has the potential to compromise performance in cycling. This study aimed to investigate the effects of vibration on full-body kinematics and muscle activation time series. Nineteen male amateur cyclists (mass 74.9 ± 5.9 kg, body height 1.82 ± 0.05 m, Vo2max 57 ± 9 ml/kg/min, age 27 ± 7 years) cycled (216 ± 16 W) with (Vib) and without (NoVib) vibration. Full-body kinematics and muscle activation time series were analysed. Vibration did not affect lower extremity joint kinematics significantly. The pelvic rotated with vibration towards the posterior direction (NoVib: 22.2 ± 4.8°, Vib: 23.1 ± 4.7°, p = 0.016, d = 0.20), upper body lean (NoVib: 157.8 ± 3.0°, Vib: 158.9 ± 3.4°, p = 0.001, d = 0.35) and elbow flexion (NoVib: 27.0 ± 8.2°, Vib: 29.4 ± 9.0°, p = 0.010, d = 0.28) increased significantly with vibration. The activation of lower extremity muscles (soleus, gastrocnemius lat., tibialis ant., vastus med., rectus fem., biceps fem.) increased significantly during varying phases of the crank cycle due to vibration. Vibration increased arm and shoulder muscle (triceps brachii, deltoideus pars scapularis) activation significantly over almost the entire crank cycle. The co-contraction of knee and ankle flexors and extensors (vastus med. - gastrocnemius lat., vastus med. - biceps fem., soleus - tibialis ant.) increased significantly with vibration. In conclusion vibrations influence main tasks such as propulsion and upper body stabilization on the bicycle to a different extent. The effect of vibration on the task of propulsion is limited due to unchanged lower body kinematics and only phase-specific increases of muscular activation during the crank cycle. Additional demands on upper body stabilization are indicated by adjusted upper body kinematics and increased muscle activation of the arm and shoulder muscles during major parts of the cranking cycle.

Synthesising 2D Video from 3D Motion Data for Machine Learning Applications.

To increase the utility of legacy, gold-standard, three-dimensional (3D) motion capture datasets for computer vision-based machine learning applications, this study proposed and validated a method to synthesise two-dimensional (2D) video image frames from historic 3D motion data. We applied the video-based human pose estimation model OpenPose to real (in situ) and synthesised 2D videos and compared anatomical landmark keypoint outputs, with trivial observed differences (2.11−3.49 mm). We further demonstrated the utility of the method in a downstream machine learning use-case in which we trained and then tested the validity of an artificial neural network (ANN) to estimate ground reaction forces (GRFs) using synthesised and real 2D videos. Training an ANN to estimate GRFs using eight OpenPose keypoints derived from synthesised 2D videos resulted in accurate waveform GRF estimations (r > 0.9; nRMSE < 14%). When compared with using the smaller number of real videos only, accuracy was improved by adding the synthetic views and enlarging the dataset. The results highlight the utility of the developed approach to enlarge small 2D video datasets, or to create 2D video images to accompany 3D motion capture datasets to make them accessible for machine learning applications.

Reliability of Running Stability during Treadmill and Overground Running.

Running stability is the ability to withstand naturally occurring minor perturbations during running. It is susceptible to external and internal running conditions such as footwear or fatigue. However, both its reliable measurability and the extent to which laboratory measurements reflect outdoor running remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the intra- and inter-day reliability of the running stability as well as the comparability of different laboratory and outdoor conditions. Competitive runners completed runs on a motorized treadmill in a research laboratory and overground both indoors and outdoors. Running stability was determined as the maximum short-term divergence exponent from the raw gyroscope signals of wearable sensors mounted to four different body locations (sternum, sacrum, tibia, and foot). Sacrum sensor measurements demonstrated the highest reliabilities (good to excellent; ICC = 0.85 to 0.91), while those of the tibia measurements showed the lowest (moderate to good; ICC = 0.55 to 0.89). Treadmill measurements depicted systematically lower values than both overground conditions for all sensor locations (relative bias = -9.8% to -2.9%). The two overground conditions, however, showed high agreement (relative bias = -0.3% to 0.5%; relative limits of agreement = 9.2% to 15.4%). Our results imply moderate to excellent reliability for both overground and treadmill running, which is the foundation of further research on running stability.

Control strategies during fast turning manoeuvers - the free moment and its contribution to body rotation and joint loading.

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between ACL relevant knee joint loading and the free (reaction) moment during 90° sidestepping task. It was hypothesized that the specific movement strategy of an athlete will impact this relationship and therefore contribute to joint loading. Functional principal component and canonical correlation analysis were used to understand the nature of free moments and their interaction with 3D joint loading in 52 athletes. It was observed that the orientation of either a positive or negative free moment is associated with different orientations and location of the foot segment at initial touch down. This impacted the rotational moment that is transferred to the knee joint: A higher internal reaction moment is observed when athletes were exposed to a positive free reaction moment, which potentially increases the load on the ACL. Furthermore, the free moment predicted joint moments and joint reaction forces. The interpretation of the principal components identified the function of the free moment to control body rotation. Free moments of different orientation were generated during the same movement, which highlights the importance of investigating individual movement strategies to understand potential injury risk and control factors.

Validation of a Novel Boxing Monitoring System to Detect and Analyse the Centre of Pressure Movement on the Boxer's Fist.

The examination of force distribution and centre of pressure (CoP) displacement is a common method to analyse motion, load, and load distribution in biomechanical research. In contrast to gait analysis, the force progression in boxing punches is a new field of investigation. The centre of pressure displacement and distribution of forces on the surface of the fist during a boxing punch is of great interest and crucial to understanding the effect of the punch on the biological structures of the hand as well as the technical biomechanical aspects of the punching action. This paper presents a new method to display the CoP progression on the boxer's fist Therefore, this study presents the validation of the developed novel boxing monitoring system in terms of CoP displacement. In addition, the CoP progression of different punching techniques in boxing is analysed on the athlete's fist. The accuracy of the examination method of the CoP course was validated against the gold standard of a Kistler force plate. High correlations were detected between the developed sensor system and the force plate CoP with a Pearson correlation coefficient ranging from 0.93 to 0.97. The information obtained throughout the experimental study is of great importance in order to gain further knowledge into the technical execution of boxing punches as well as to provide a novel measuring method for determining CoP on the surface of the fist, to improve the understanding of the etiology of boxing-related hand injuries.

Application of a Validated Innovative Smart Wearable for Performance Analysis by Experienced and Non-Experienced Athletes in Boxing.

An athlete's sporting performance depends to a large extent on the technical execution of the athletic motion in order to achieve maximum effectiveness in physical performance. Performance analysis provides an important means of classifying and quantifying athletic prowess in terms of the significant performance aspects of the sport to provide objective feedback. This study aimed to analyze technical execution in terms of punch trajectory, force, velocity and time, considering the expert-novice paradigm by investigating the technical execution of 31 experienced and non-experienced athletes for the four main punching techniques of the cross, jab, uppercut and hook strike. The kinetic and kinematic data were collected by means of a boxing monitoring system developed and validated for in-field use. The research revealed significant correlation for executed punching trajectory and punch force in intragroup comparison and significant differences in intergroup comparison. No significant differences were detected for punch velocity in either inter- or intra-group paradigms. This study, through use of the sensor system, aligns with the results of existing publications conducted in laboratory conditions, in the assessment of punch force, punch speed and punch time and thus extends the state of research by use of a smart wearable in field method.

Validation of a Unique Boxing Monitoring System.

Much development work and scientific research has been conducted in recent years in the field of detecting human activity and the measurement of biomechanical performance parameters using portable sensor technologies, so-called wearable systems. Despite the fact that boxers participating in one of the most vigorous and complex disciplines of all sports, it is one of the disciplines where no noteworthy, advanced performance analytic tools are used for training or for competition purposes worldwide. This research aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive punch performance sensor system for the measurement and analysis of biomechanical parameters in the sport of boxing. A comprehensive validation study on linear regression was conducted following the development of the sensor system, between the gold standard of a Kistler force plate and Vicon motion capture system, to compare sensor-derived measurements with the gold standard-derived measurements. The developed sensor system demonstrated high accuracies ranging from R2 = 0.97 to R2 = 0.99 for punch force, acceleration, velocity and punch-time data. The validation experiments conducted demonstrated the significant accuracy of the sensor-derived measurements for predicting boxing-specific biomechanical movement parameters while punching in field use. Thus, this paper presents a unique sensor system for comprehensive measurements of biomechanical parameters using the developed mobile measurement system in the field of combat sports.

A Comparison of Three Neural Network Approaches for Estimating Joint Angles and Moments from Inertial Measurement Units.

The application of artificial intelligence techniques to wearable sensor data may facilitate accurate analysis outside of controlled laboratory settings-the holy grail for gait clinicians and sports scientists looking to bridge the lab to field divide. Using these techniques, parameters that are difficult to directly measure in-the-wild, may be predicted using surrogate lower resolution inputs. One example is the prediction of joint kinematics and kinetics based on inputs from inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors. Despite increased research, there is a paucity of information examining the most suitable artificial neural network (ANN) for predicting gait kinematics and kinetics from IMUs. This paper compares the performance of three commonly employed ANNs used to predict gait kinematics and kinetics: multilayer perceptron (MLP); long short-term memory (LSTM); and convolutional neural networks (CNN). Overall high correlations between ground truth and predicted kinematic and kinetic data were found across all investigated ANNs. However, the optimal ANN should be based on the prediction task and the intended use-case application. For the prediction of joint angles, CNNs appear favourable, however these ANNs do not show an advantage over an MLP network for the prediction of joint moments. If real-time joint angle and joint moment prediction is desirable an LSTM network should be utilised.

Groin injury risk of pubertal soccer players increases during peak height velocity due to changes in movement techniques.

Adolescent athletes experience an increase in injury incidence when they undergo peak height velocity (PHV). To find the reason behind this increase, the present study investigated if PHV influences hip joint kinematics, kinetics and adductor muscle forces in two groups of adolescent soccer players performing 90°-cutting manoeuvres and inside passing. One group was estimated to be more than half a year before PHV (PRE, N = 12). The second group was estimated to be less than half a year before or after PHV (MID, N = 10). Maximum static gripping and adductor forces were measured. Motion capturing and inverse dynamics were used to calculate kinematics and kinetics. The MID group was significantly taller and heavier compared to PRE while the force measurements showed no differences. Statistics showed a higher hip abduction moment for MID during the cutting manoeuvre. Results from the anthropometrics and force measurements suggest that the moments of inertia of the participants' extremities increase faster than the muscles can adapt. A higher abduction moment of MID likely increases the load on the adductor muscles through a change of technique. Combining both findings, it is likely that the risk of suffering a groin injury is increased in the MID group.

Retention and generalizability of balance recovery response adaptations from trip perturbations across the adult life span.

For human locomotion, varying environments require adjustments of the motor system. We asked whether age affects gait balance recovery adaptation, its retention over months, and the transfer of adaptation to an untrained reactive balance task. Healthy adults (26 young, 27 middle-aged, and 25 older; average ages 24, 52, and 72 yr, respectively) completed two tasks. The primary task involved treadmill walking: either unperturbed (control; n = 39) or subject to unexpected trip perturbations (training; n = 39). A single trip perturbation was repeated after a 14-wk retention period. The secondary transfer task, before and after treadmill walking, involved sudden loss of balance in a lean-and-release protocol. For both tasks, the anteroposterior margin of stability (MoS) was calculated at foot touchdown. For the first (i.e., novel) trip, older adults required one more recovery step (P = 0.03) to regain positive MoS compared with younger, but not middle-aged, adults. However, over several trip perturbations, all age groups increased their MoS for the first recovery step to a similar extent (up to 70%) and retained improvements over 14 wk, although a decay over time was found for older adults (P = 0.002; middle-aged showing a tendency for decay: P = 0.076). Thus, although adaptability in reactive gait stability control remains effective across the adult life span, retention of adaptations over time appears diminished with aging. Despite these robust adaptations, the perturbation training group did not show superior improvements in the transfer task compared with age-matched controls (no differences in MoS changes), suggesting that generalizability of acquired fall-resisting skills from gait-perturbation training may be limited.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The human neuromotor system preserves its adaptability across the adult life span. However, although adaptability in reactive gait stability control remains effective as age increases, retention of recovery response adaptations over time appears to be reduced with aging. Furthermore, acquired fall-resisting skills from single-session perturbation training seem task specific, which may limit the generalizability of such training to the variety of real-life falls.

Spatiotemporal parameters in sprinters with unilateral and bilateral transfemoral amputations and functional impairments.

PURPOSE: Although sprinters with unilateral (UTF) and bilateral transfemoral (BTF) amputations and functional impairments (FIs) without amputation were allocated into different classifications because of the recent revision of the International Paralympic Committee Athletics Rules and Regulations, it is unclear whether running mechanics differ among the three groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in the spatiotemporal parameters of the three groups during 100-m sprint in official competitions. METHODS: Using publicly available Internet broadcasts, we analyzed 11 elite-level sprinters with UTF amputation, 4 sprinters with BTF amputation, and 5 sprinters with FI without amputation. The best personal times for nearly all individuals were included. For each sprinter's race, the average speed, step frequency, and step length were calculated using the number of steps in conjunction with the official race time. RESULTS: Although there were no significant differences in the average speed among the UTF, BTF, and FI groups (7.95 ± 0.22, 7.90 ± 0.42, and 7.93 ± 0.14 m/s, respectively, p = 0.87), those with BTF amputation showed significantly lower step frequency (UTF: 4.20 ± 0.20 Hz, BTF: 3.71 ± 0.32 Hz, FI: 4.20 ± 0.10 Hz, p < 0.05) and longer step length (UTF: 1.90 ± 0.08 m, BTF: 2.14 ± 0.02 m, FI: 1.89 ± 0.06 m, p < 0.05) than the other two groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the step characteristics during sprinting are not the same among sprinters with UTF amputation, BTF amputations, or FI without amputations.

Does inside passing contribute to the high incidence of groin injuries in soccer? A biomechanical analysis.

Groin injuries are common in soccer and often cause time-loss from training. While groin injuries have been linked to full effort kicking, the role of inside passing is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate hip joint kinematics and muscle force, stress and contraction velocity for adductor longus and gracilis during inside passing. 3D kinematics of ten soccer players (23.4 yrs; 77.5 kg; 1.81 m) were captured with a motion capture system inside a Footbonaut. Muscle force and contraction velocity were determined with AnyBody Modelling System. Gracilis muscle forces were 9% lower compared to adductor longus (p = 0.005), but muscle stress was 183% higher in gracilis (p = 0.005). Contraction velocity reveals eccentric contraction of gracilis in the last quarter of the swing phase. Considering the combination of eccentric contraction, high muscle stress and the repetitive nature of inside passing, gracilis accumulates high loads in matches and training. These results indicate that the high incidence of groin injuries in soccer could be linked to isolated pass training. Practitioners need to be aware of the risk and refrain from sudden increases in the amount of pass training. This gives the musculoskeletal system time to adapt and might avoid career threatening injuries.

Musculoskeletal modelling of the dragonfly mandible system as an aid to understanding the role of single muscles in an evolutionary context.

Insects show a great variety of mouthpart and muscle configurations; however, knowledge of their mouthpart kinematics and muscle activation patterns is fragmentary. Understanding the role of muscle groups during movement and comparing them between insect groups could yield insights into evolutionary patterns and functional constraints. Here, we developed a mathematical inverse dynamic model including distinct muscles for an insect head-mandible-muscle complex based on micro-computed tomography (µCT) data and bite force measurements. With the advent of µCT, it is now possible to obtain precise spatial information about muscle attachment areas and head capsule construction in insects. Our model shows a distinct activation pattern for certain fibre groups potentially related to a geometry-dependent optimization. Muscle activation patterns suggest that intramandibular muscles play a minor role in bite force generation, which is a potential reason for their loss in several lineages of higher insects. Our model is in agreement with previous studies investigating fast and slow muscle fibres and is able to resolve the spatio-temporal activation patterns of these different muscle types in insects. The model used here has a high potential for large-scale comparative analyses on the role of different muscle setups and head capsule designs in the megadiverse insects in order to aid our understanding of insect head capsule and mouthpart evolution under mechanical constraints.

Normative Spatiotemporal Parameters During 100-m Sprints in Amputee Sprinters Using Running-Specific Prostheses.

The aim of this study was to develop a normative sample of step frequency and step length during maximal sprinting in amputee sprinters. We analyzed elite-level 100-m races of 255 amputees and 93 able-bodied sprinters, both men and women, from publicly-available Internet broadcasts. For each sprinter's run, the average forward velocity, step frequency, and step length over the 100-m distance were analyzed by using the official record and number of steps in each race. The average forward velocity was greatest in able-bodied sprinters (10.04 ± 0.17 m/s), followed by bilateral transtibial (8.77 ± 0.27 m/s), unilateral transtibial (8.65 ± 0.30 m/s), and transfemoral amputee sprinters (7.65 ± 0.38 m/s) in men. Differences in velocity among 4 groups were associated with step length (able-bodied vs transtibial amputees) or both step frequency and step length (able-bodied vs transfemoral amputees). Although we also found that the velocity was greatest in able-bodied sprinters (9.10 ± 0.14 m/s), followed by unilateral transtibial (7.08 ± 0.26 m/s), bilateral transtibial (7.06 ± 0.48 m/s), and transfemoral amputee sprinters (5.92 ± 0.33 m/s) in women, the differences in the velocity among the groups were associated with both step frequency and step length. Current results suggest that spatiotemporal parameters during a 100-m race of amputee sprinters is varied by amputation levels and sex.

Lower extremity kinematics of athletics curve sprinting.

Curve running requires the generation of centripetal force altering the movement pattern in comparison to the straight path run. The question arises which kinematic modulations emerge while bend sprinting at high velocities. It has been suggested that during curve sprints the legs fulfil different functions. A three-dimensional motion analysis (16 high-speed cameras) was conducted to compare the segmental kinematics of the lower extremity during the stance phases of linear and curve sprints (radius: 36.5 m) of six sprinters of national competitive level. Peak joint angles substantially differed in the frontal and transversal plane whereas sagittal plane kinematics remained unchanged. During the prolonged left stance phase (left: 107.5 ms, right: 95.7 ms, straight: 104.4 ms) the maximum values of ankle eversion (left: 12.7°, right: 2.6°, straight: 6.6°), hip adduction (left: 13.8°, right: 5.5°, straight: 8.8°) and hip external rotation (left: 21.6°, right: 12.9°, straight: 16.7°) were significantly higher. The inside leg seemed to stabilise the movement in the frontal plane (eversion-adduction strategy) whereas the outside leg provided and controlled the motion in the horizontal plane (rotation strategy). These results extend the principal understanding of the effects of curve sprinting on lower extremity kinematics. This helps to increase the understanding of nonlinear human bipedal locomotion, which in turn might lead to improvements in athletic performance and injury prevention.

Neuromuscular Adaptations Related to Medial Knee Osteoarthritis and Influence of Unloader Braces on Neuromuscular Activity in Knee Osteoarthritis Subjects-A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT: Unloader braces are a treatment modality for medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. The functional mechanisms involved are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this two-part systematic review examines the following research questions: How is muscle activation altered by medial compartment knee osteoarthritis, and do medial tibio-femoral compartment unloader braces alter muscle activation? If so, could this alteration be part of the unloading mechanism by affecting the altered muscle activity in medial compartment knee osteoarthritis?A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, LIVIVO, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and CENTRAL for articles published until August 2023. The first systematic review, examining neuromuscular alterations, identified 703 articles, with a final inclusion of 20. The second systematic review, which evaluated the neuromuscular effects of unloader braces, identified 123 articles with the final inclusion of 3. Individuals with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis demonstrated increased activity and co-contraction of the periarticular knee muscles, whereas medial tibio-femoral compartment unloader braces seemed to reduce activity and co-contraction. In contrast to the belief that unloader braces result in muscle weakness as they decrease muscle activity and co-contraction, our limited insights indicate that they rather might reduce the pathological increase. This may result in joint load reduction due to lower compressive forces. However, further investigation is required.

Does specific footwear facilitate energy storage and return at the metatarsophalangeal joint in running?

Longitudinal midsole bending stiffness and elasticity are two critical features in the construction of running shoes. Stiff elastic materials (eg, carbon fiber) can be used to alter the midsole bending behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of midsole stiffness and elasticity manipulation on metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint mechanics during running in 19 male subjects at 3.5 m/s. Midsole bending stiffness and elasticity were modified by means of carbon fiber insoles of varying thickness. Stiffening the shoe structures around the MTP joint caused a shift of the point of force application toward the front edge of the shoe-ground interface. Negative work was significantly reduced for the stiffest shoe condition and at the same time a significant increase of positive work at the MTP joint was found. It seems plausible that the increase in positive work originates from the reutilization of elastic energy that was stored inside the passive elastic structures of the shoe and toe flexing muscle tendon units. Further, an increase in midsole longitudinal bending stiffness seems to alter the working conditions and mechanical power generation capacities of the MTP plantar flexing muscle tendon units by changing ground reaction force leverage and MTP angular velocity.

Effect of heel construction on muscular control potential of the ankle joint in running.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of heel construction on ankle joint mechanics during the early stance phase of running. Kinematic and kinetic parameters (ankle joint angles, angular velocities and joint moments, lever arms of ground reaction force, triceps surae muscle tendon unit lengths, and rates of muscle tendon unit length change) were calculated from 19 male subjects running at 3.3 m/s in shoes with different heel constructions. Increasing heel height and posterior wedging amplified initial plantar flexion velocity and range. The potential for a muscle to control the movement of a joint depends upon its ability to produce joint moments. Runners in this study showed decreased external eversion moments and an increase in eversion range. Maximum eversion angles were not significantly affected by shoe conditions. Without considerable tendon prestretch, joint moment generation potentials of triceps surae and deep plantar flexors might be inhibited due to rapid plantar flexion based on the force-velocity relationship. It could be speculated that increasing ankle inversion at heel strike could be a strategy to keep maximum eversion angles inside an adequate range, if joint moment generation potentials of deep plantar flexors are inhibited due to rapid plantar flexion.