21/12/2024
🏃♀️From Walk to Run: Comparing Loads Across Walking, Cycling, Elliptical, and Running 🚴♂️
Understanding how different activities impact your body is key to optimizing training and recovery! 💡 Here's a quick breakdown of the loads (in multiples of body weight, BW) placed on the patellofemoral joint, Achilles tendon, and hip during walking 🚶♂️, cycling 🚴, elliptical 🏋️♂️, and running🏃♂️:
Patellofemoral Load 🦵
🚶Walking: 0.9 x BW (Hart 2022)
🚴Bike: 0.5-1.5 x BW (He 2024)
⚙️Elliptical: 2.65 x BW (Lu 2007)
🏃Running: 5.2 x BW (Hart 2022)
Achilles Tendon Load 🔗
🚴Cycling: 0.6-0.83 x BW (Gregor 1987)
⚙️Elliptical: 2.20 x BW (Lu 2007)
🚶Walking: 3.3 x BW (Baxter 2020)
🏃Running: 5.2 x BW (Baxter 2020)
Hip Load 🦴
🚴Cycling: 0.5-1.4 x BW (Ericson 1986, Damm 2017)
🚶Walking: 2.38-4.37 x BW (Bergman 1993, 2001; Giarmatzis 2015)
⚙️Elliptical: 4.02 x BW (*estimated from Lu 2007)
🏃Running: 5.5-10.01 x BW (Bergman 1993; Giarmatzis 2015)
❗️Note: These effects can vary depending on factors such as:
🚲Bike & Elliptical: Resistance, equipment setup, and speed.⚙️
🏃♀️Walking & Running: Elevation, speed, and running gait.⛰️
‼️Remember, load & pain don’t always correlate. It’s crucial to assess each individual’s response & tailor accordingly
Use these progressions to help guide rehabilitation 💪
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📚REFERENCES
Baxter, J. R., et al. (2020). "Exercise Progression to Incrementally Load the Achilles Tendon." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Publish Ahead of Print.
Bergmann G, Graichen F, Rohlmann A. Hip joint loading during walking and running, measured in two patients. J Biomech. 1993 Aug;26(8):969-90.
Bergmann G, Deuretzbacher G, Heller M, Graichen F, Rohlmann A, Strauss J, Duda GN. Hip contact forces and gait patterns from routine activities. J Biomech. 2001 Jul;34(7):859-71. Damm P, Dymke J, Bender A, Duda G, Bergmann G. In vivo hip joint loads and pedal forces during ergometer cycling. J Biomech. 2017 Jul 26;60:197-202.
Ericson MO, Bratt A, Nisell R, Németh G, Ekholm J. Load moments about the hip and knee joints during ergometer cycling. Scand J Rehabil Med. 1986;18(4):165-72. PMID: 3810083.
Giarmatzis G, Jonkers I, Wesseling M, Van Rossom S, Verschueren S. Loading of Hip Measured by Hip Contact Forces at Different Speeds of Walking and Running. J Bone Miner Res. 2015 Aug;30(8):1431-40. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2483. Epub 2015 May 22. PMID: 25704538.
Gregor, R. J., et al. (1987). "Achilles tendon forces during cycling." Int J Sports Med 8 Suppl 1: 9-14.
He, M. Y., et al. (2024). "Effects of Stationary Bikes and Elliptical Machines on Knee Joint Kinematics during Exercise." Medicina (Kaunas) 60(3).
Hart, H. F., et al. (2022). "May the force be with you: understanding how patellofemoral joint reaction force compares across different activities and physical interventions-a systematic review and meta-analysis." Br J Sports Med 56(9): 521-530.
Lu, T. W., et al. (2007). "Joint loading in the lower extremities during elliptical exercise." Med Sci Sports Exerc 39(9): 1651-1658.