Tibial impacts and muscle activation during walking, jogging and running when performed overground, and on motorised and non-motorised treadmills

•Non-motorised treadmill locomotion creates large reductions in tibial acceleration.•Non-motorised treadmill locomotion increases lower limb muscular activation.•Non-motorised treadmill locomotion decreases cycle time/increases step frequency.

PurposeTo examine tibial acceleration and muscle activation during overground (OG), motorised treadmill (MT) and non-motorised treadmill conditions (NMT) when walking, jogging and running at matched velocities.MethodsAn accelerometer recorded acceleration at the mid-tibia and surface EMG electrodes recorded rectus femoris (RF), semitendinosus (ST), tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SL) muscle activation during OG, MT and NMT locomotion whilst walking, jogging and running.ResultsThe NMT produced large reductions in tibial acceleration when compared with OG and MT conditions across walking, jogging and running conditions. RF EMG was small-moderately higher in the NMT condition when compared with the OG and MT conditions across walking, jogging and running conditions. ST EMG showed large and very large increases in the NMT when compared to OG and MT conditions during walking whilst SL EMG found large increases on the NMT when compared to OG and MT conditions during running. The NMT condition generated very large increases in step frequency when compared to OG and MT conditions during walking, with large and very large decreases during jogging and very large decreases during running.ConclusionsThe NMT generates large reductions in tibial acceleration, moderate to very large increases in muscular activation and large to very large decreases in cycle time when compared to OG and MT locomotion. Whilst this may decrease the osteogenic potential of NMT locomotion, there may be uses for NMTs during rehabilitation for lower limb injuries.