Sex Differences in Shock Attenuation during Running

Abstract

The current investigation was conducted to determine whether sex differences in skeletal accelerations and shock attenuation were evident during running. Twelve male and twelve female recreational runners ran at 4.0 m.s-1. Axial accelerations were measured at 1,000 Hz using accelerometers mounted at the tibia and sacrum. Peak tibial and sacrum axial accelerations were obtained and utilized to calculate the extent of shock attenuation. The results showed that peak sacrum accelerations were significantly larger in female runners (5.16 ±0.64 g) compared to males (4.37 ±0.75 g). It was also shown that shock attenuation (31.90 ±19.85%) was significantly lower in female runners in relation to males (47.89 ±11.46%). The findings from the current investigation indicate that female runners experience greater skeletal accelerations which may place greater stress on the musculoskeletal structures required attenuate transients forces which can be detrimental to passive tissues.