Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2019

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Health and Nutritional Sciences

First Advisor

Bradley Bowser

Keywords

Children, Obesity, Running

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Overweight and obese (OW/OB) children display increased knee joint loading during running, which may lead to excessive frontal plane motion and moments at the knee joints. The relationship between tibial plateau dimensions and knee vertical loading may explain the loading related injuries OW/OB children experience.
PURPOSE: Compare knee mechanics during running and tibial plateau dimensions between healthy weight (HW) and OW/OB children.
METHODS: Ten HW children and ten OW/OB children aged 9-12 participated in the study. Kinematic and kinetic data were captured as participants ran across a force platform at 3.5m/s. Tibial plateau area and density were collected by peripheral quantitative computed tomography. Frontal and sagittal plane knee angles and moments, vertical ground reaction forces (GRF) and temporal data were calculated. Mass, vertical GRF and joint moments were scaled by tibial plateau dimensions. A series of one-way ANOVAs were performed to compare group differences.
RESULTS: OW/OB children displayed greater knee abduction during the stance phase of running. Mass, vertical GRF and knee joint moments scaled by tibial plateau dimensions were greater in the OW/OB group.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: OW/OB children display different running mechanics and loading patterns compared to HW children. The variables scaled by tibial plateau dimensions indicate that OW/OB children experience excessive loading at the knee during the stance phase of running. The excessive loading may lead to injuries such at ACL tears or osteoarthritis.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Obesity in children.
Running for children -- Physiological aspects.
Human mechanics.
Children -- Physiology.
Knee.
Tibia.

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

55

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright