Referent body weight values in over ground walking, over ground jogging, treadmill jogging, and elliptical exercise

•Weight-bearing was significantly reduced on the elliptical trainer compared to the other tested activities.•Referent weight-bearing values may assist the rehabilitation team regarding return-to-sport decisions.•The results obtained may be useful from a repetitive loading standpoint (to prevent overuse injury) or for exercise recommendations for those at greater risk for exacerbating chronic joint pathology.

ObjectivesI. To evaluate average percentage body weight (APBW) values and weight-bearing distribution percentages (WBDP) between four common sports activities in a referent adult population. II. To suggest clinical implications.DesignOriginal research study.SettingLerner Sports Center, Hebrew University, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel.ParticipantsSeventy-five asymptomatic volunteers, mean age = 33.5 (19-72) years SD = 15.1, mean weight (kg) = 70.7 (43-113) SD = 14.1.InterventionsFour tests were conducted: 1. Overground walking (OGW) over a 20 m distance, 2. Overground jogging (OGJ) over a 20 m distance, 3. Treadmill jogging (TJ) at a constant speed of 8.5 km/h for a 15-second interval and 4. Elliptical exercise (EE) for a 20 second period at a resistance and incline level of 10, and a steady pace within the range of 70-95 steps/min.Main outcome measureThe Smartstep™ weight-bearing gait analysis system.ResultsThe APBW value on the entire foot in OGW was 112% (SD = 15.57), in OGJ, 201% (SD = 31.24, in TJ, 175% (SD = 25.48) and in EE, 73% (SD = 13.8). Regarding WBDP, the swing phase in OGJ and TJ was significantly longer than the stance phase (p < 0.05). OGW resulted in significantly less swing phase compared to OGJ and TJ (p < 0.05).ConclusionsEE significantly reduces weight-bearing as compared to other common functional and sporting activities. These findings may assist the rehabilitation team when considering returning individuals back to early activity following certain bony or soft tissue pathologies or lower-limb surgical procedures. This information is also useful from a repetitive loading standpoint (to prevent overuse injury) or for exercise recommendations for those at greater risk for exacerbating chronic joint pathology.