Biomechanical Running Gait Assessments Across Prevalent Adolescent Musculoskeletal Injuries.

Background: While there is substantial information available regarding expected biomechanical adaptations associated with adult running-related injuries, less is known about adolescent gait profiles that may influence injury development. Research questions: Which biomechanical profiles are associated with prevalent musculoskeletal lower extremity injuries among adolescent runners, and how do these profiles compare across injury types and body regions? Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 149 injured adolescents (110 F; 39 M) seen at a hospital affiliated injured runner's clinic between the years 2016-2021. Biomechanical data were obtained from 2 -dimensional video analyses and an instrumented treadmill system. Multivariate analyses of variance covarying for gender and body mass index were used to compare continuous biomechanical measures, and Chi-square analyses were used to compare categorical biomechanical variables across injury types and body regions. Spearman's rho correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationship of significant outcomes. Results: Patients with bony injuries had significantly higher maximum vertical ground reaction forces (bony: 1.87 body weight [BW] vs. soft tissue: 1.79BW, p = 0.05), and a higher proportion of runners with contralateral pelvic drop at midstance (chi(2) =5.3, p = 0.02). Maximum vertical ground reaction forces and pelvic drop were significantly yet weakly correlated (rho = 0.20, p = 0.01). Foot strike patterns differed across injured body regions, with a higher proportion of hip and knee injury patients presenting with forefoot strike patterns (chi(2) =22.0, p = 0.01). Significance: These biomechanical factors may represent risk factors for injuries sustained by young runners. Clinicians may consider assessing these gait adaptations when treating injured adolescent patients.