The Effects of Plyometric Fatigue on Spatiotemporal Parameters of Running Gait
Brizzell, Andrew
Brizzell, Andrew
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2025-05-19
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Abstract
Introduction: Fatigue is often thought to be a contributing factor to injury, as it generates changes in spatiotemporal parameters of the gait cycle. Previous literature has induced fatigue via prolonged running tasks, but not by other means such as resistance exercise, plyometric exercise, or mental fatigue.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of acute plyometric fatigue on spatiotemporal parameters of physically active, young adults? running gait.
Methods: Seven healthy, physically active young adults, participated in this study that evaluated mean stance and swing time, along with standard deviation from mean stance and swing time, under both pre-fatigue and post-fatigue conditions. All participants completed a plyometric fatigue protocol consisting of five exercises, totaling 272 ground contacts (182 per leg) to induce peripheral fatigue. Raw motion capture data were manually cleaned and gap filled prior to generation of a Visual 3D model. Spatiotemporal parameters were calculated and analyzed using paired t-tests in Microsoft Excel.
Results: There were no significant changes in the evaluated spatiotemporal parameters (all p-values > 0.05) of the running gait cycle. Lack of significant results may be due to limiting factors, such as personal motivation, unfamiliarity with the Borg Scale, and/or time to post-test.
Conclusion: The effects of plyometric fatigue on running gait have yet to be evaluated in depth. Whilst there were no significant changes in the evaluated spatiotemporal parameters, they are not the only changes exhibited with fatigue. Future directions may consider evaluating range of motion and coordination index.