Coordination variability and injury among recreational runners: a prospective analysis

The relationship between coordination variability and running related overuse injuries has not been examined prospectively. Understanding this relationship will aid in identifying the loading effects of joint coordination on mechanically crucial musculoskeletal sites. Vector coding was used to determine the coordination angle and variability between ankle eversion/inversion, shank internal/external rotation, and knee extension/flexion during running of participants enrolled in a 12 month study. Contrary to earlier retrospective findings, prospectively injured runners exhibited greater coordination variability in the ankle-knee and ankle-leg coupling relationships during 0-100% of stance and during 0-33% of stance, respectively. Injury development may be affected by more variable coordination patterns in the lower limb.