Article

In attempts to resolve unilateral
pathology, physical therapists often use the restoration of symmetry as a
clinical milestone. While lower limb dominance has been shown to affect lower
extremity mechanics during dynamic tasks such as jump landing, its effect on
running gait is poorly understood. Further, despite the role of fatigue in
running mechanics and injury, the interaction between fatigue and limb dominance
has yet to be examined. METHODS: Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data
were collected on 20 females during overground running. Data were collected
prior-to and following a treadmill run to exertion. Dominant and non-dominant
limb data were compared in the fresh-state using a paired t-test. A 2-way
repeated-measures ANOVA was used to test for an interaction between fatigue and
limb dominance. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the
kinematic or kinetic patterns of the dominant and non-dominant lower extremities
during fresh-state overground running. Fatigue was not shown to interact with
limb dominance. CONCLUSION: Limb dominance did not affect kinematic or kinetic
side-to-side differences. Therefore, physical therapists can continue to use
resolution of lower extremity symmetry as a goal of therapy without having to
account for limb dominance. The lack of an interaction between fatigue and limb
dominance indicates that the dominant and non-dominant limbs fatigue at a similar
rate.
CI - Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS