Author(s): GERLACH, M., DE GRAAF, M.L., BOSTRÖM, K.J., WAGNER, H. , Institution: UNIVERSITY OF MÜNSTER, Country: GERMANY, Abstract-ID: 552

INTRODUCTION:
Footwear is a critical factor influencing both sprint performance and injury incidence [1]. Despite evidence suggesting that injury rates increase with increasing training hours in spikes [2], there is a lack of studies quantifying this relationship. Additionally, it is not clear whether or not spikes actually enhance performance across different levels of sprinters. Specifically, novice sprinters may not benefit from wearing spikes to the same extent as experienced sprinters do,
raising the question of whether they are worth wearing. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of spikes versus running shoes on sprint performance and lower limb kinetics in novice sprinters.
METHODS:
Eighteen novice sprinters completed six 60 m sprints, wearing either spikes or running shoes. Sprint times were measured using two pairs of double beam timing gates. Full-body kinematics were recorded using a motion capture suit and imported into the musculoskeletal model Myonardo®, which was used to estimate JCFs of the hip, knee, and ankle joints. All values were normalised to subjects body weight before being analysed through generalised linear mixed models.
RESULTS:
Sprinting with spikes yielded significantly faster sprint times compared to running shoes. Results indicated a mean improvement of 1.7% in the 60 m sprint performances. Men benefited more from spikes (improvements of 2.7%) than women (improvements of 1.0%). When looking at the joint kinetics the peak knee JCFs were significantly higher when sprinting in spikes than in running shoes. This is consistent with reports of increasing injury incidence with increasing hours of training in spikes [2].
CONCLUSION:
While the performance advantages of spikes were notable, novices should take into account the elevated loading associated with their use. Thus, it might be beneficial to implement their use progressively, allowing the musculoskeletal system sufficient time to adjust.

References
[1] Russo et al. (2022). App. Sciences, 12: 10195.
[2] Ek et al. (2022). Jour. of Scien. and Med. in Sport, 25: 122–128.