Gait Analysis Of Walking And Jogging In Male Obese College Students

Objective The purpose of this study was to reveal the effects of obesity on the gait of walking and jogging by comparing the kinematics and plantar pressure characteristics of male college students with different obesity levels,so as to provide theoretical foundation for the occurrence of obesity-related lower limbs diseases from the perspective of sports biomechanics,and to provide scientific guidance of daily exercise for obese college students.Methods 45 male college students from Dalian University of technology were recruited and were divided into three groups(normal weight group,grade I obesity group and grade II obesity group)according to body mass index,each group of 15 participants.Zebris pressure distribution plate and Vicon three dimensional motion capture system were utilized for measuring plantar pressure and joint angle of the subjects during natural walking and jogging on flat ground.And one-way ANOVA and Paired sample t-test were used for statistical analysis.Results1.Walking characteristics: 1)The walking width of grade I and grade II obesity groups were significantly larger than that of normal weight group;2)There were no significant differences in gait phase between grade I obesity group and normal weight group,but the single support phase and swing phase of grade II obesity group were significantly shortened,and the double support phase was significantly prolonged;3)There were no significant differences in the joint motion of hip and ankle among grade I obesity group,grade II obesity group and normal weight group,but the knee flexion angle of grade I and grade II obesity groups in support phase and swing phase were significantly smaller than that of the normal weight group;4)The peak forces of metatarsal 1-3 and heel in grade I obesity group were significantly higher than that in normal weight group,but there were no significant differences in the peak forces of metatarsal 4-5 and midfoot,while the peak forces of metatarsal 1-5,midfoot and heel in grade II obesity group were significantly increased;5)Unlike the grade I obesity group,the contact time of the midfoot and the heel in the grade II obesity group were significantly longer than those in the normal weight group.2.Jogging characteristics: 1)The jogging step width of grade I and grade II obesity groups were significantly larger than that of normal weight group;2)There were no significant differences in gait phase between grade I obesity group and normal weight group,but the support phase of grade II obesity group was significantly prolonged,and the swing phase was significantly shortened;3)The hip flexion angle at the time of landing in grade I and grade II obesity group were significantly smaller than that of the normal weight group.The higher the obesity levels,the smaller the knee flexion angle at each characteristic time.The peak angle of dorsiflexion decreased with the increase of obesity levels,but the difference was not statistically significant;4)There were no significant differences in the peak force of midfoot between grade I obesity group and normal weight group,but the peak forces of midfoot and heel in grade II obesity group were significantly increased;5)Unlike the grade I obesity group,the contact time of the midfoot in grade II obesity group was significantly increased.Conclusion The gait characteristics of male college students with different obesity levels are different.The higher obesity level they are,the lower posture stability they keep,and the more obvious gait compensation they experience such as adjusting the step width and gait phase,and prolonging the full foot support time.Furthermore,knee movement is susceptible to body mass.The reduction of knee flexion angle in the support phase is not conducive to buffer the ground reaction force.Therefore,it is suggested that the obesity should enhance their lower limbs strength and joints stability.Finally,the variation range of the peak force in each plantar region varies with the obesity levels.More attention should be paid by the obesity to prompt arch function and the grade II obesity could choose sports shoes with cushion and arch support function to optimize plantar pressure distribution,so as to reduce the risk of plantar fasciitis.