TVS in gym increase runners’ injury risk

GYM-GOERS may be overexerting themselves and risking injury on treadmills because they change their running style to watch screens, a study has shown.

Sports scientists at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Valencia investigated how running styles differed between runners who looked towards the floor and those who looked directly ahead.

They found that those who looked ahead while running on a treadmill – as you would when looking up to view a TV screen – attempted to lift their whole body and feet higher during each stride.

They also experienced greater acceleration of the head, indicative of a runner attempting to get their body higher in the air.

Prior to the next step, runners then appeared to compensate for the impact they might experience when falling from a greater height by softening their landing, using their ankle and knee joints as shock absorbers.

All the modifications involve using more energy, which researchers say might be good for runners trying to lose weight, but detrimental for those who are trying to improve their speed.

Running experts also said the change in style could potentially cause injury.

“We wanted to investigate whether where someone looks affects the way they run,” said Dr Martin Lewis, researcher and lecturer in biomechanics and performance analysis of sport at Nottingham Trent.

“It appears that when you remove a runner’s view of the floor, they adopt a different way of moving to avoid trips and falls over objects which might be outside their vision.

This has the effect of making runners less efficient in their movements.”

The research was published in Gait and Posture.