Relationships between pain presence in the lower limbs and kinetics of gait in athletes: kinetic deviation and asymmetry of the lower limb joints during gait

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationship of pain presence to kinetic deviation and asymmetry of the lower limb joints during gait for athletes suffered from various lower limb pains. The gait of 112 athletes was analyzed three-dimensionally with a Vicon 612 system. Deviation and asymmetry of the three-dimensional lower limb kinetics obtained by an inverse dynamics approach were evaluated by calculating Z score. In the lumber-pain group, the increase in the hip extension torque in the forward propulsion phase caused greater kinetic deviations. In the hip-pain group, the increase in hip flexion torque in the latter phase of the stance caused greater kinetic deviations and the decrease in the ankle plantar flexion torque of the affected limb caused greater asymmetry. In the knee-pain group, the increase in the hip abduction torque caused greater kinetic deviations and the decrease in the affected limb caused greater asymmetry. In the ankle-pain group, the increase in the ankle plantar flexion torque in push-off phase of the affected limb caused greater asymmetry. These results indicated the motion deviation and asymmetry of the lower limb kinetics can be detected by Z score during the gait in the athletes who suffered from pains in the lower limbs and that the technique was in this study may be one of effective methods used predict the risk of lower limb injuries for athletes.