Relationship between leg bone length and sprint performance in sprinters; Are there any event-related differences in 100-m and 400-m sprints?

doi:10.21203/rs.2.22302/v1

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Relationship between leg bone length and sprint performance in sprinters; Are there any event-related differences in 100-m and 400-m sprints?

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.2.22302/v1

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published 22 Jun, 2020

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Objective: This study examined the relationship between leg bone length and sprint performance in sprinters. The leg bone lengths in 28 100-m specialized sprinters and 28 400-m specialized sprinters were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. The lengths of the upper and lower leg bones were assessed by calculating the lengths of the femur and tibia, respectively. To minimize differences in body size among participants, both bone lengths were normalized to body height. The ratio of the tibial length to femoral length was calculated to evaluate the interaction between the lengths of the upper and lower leg bones. International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) scores, based on the personal best times of the sprinters in each group were used as parameters for sprint performance.

Results: There were no significant correlations between absolute and relative lengths of the femur and tibia and IAAF scores in both 100-m and 400-m sprinters. By contrast, the ratio of the tibial length to femoral length correlated significantly with IAAF score in 400-m sprinters (r = 0.445, P = 0.018), but not 100-m sprinters. These findings suggest that the leg bone lengths may play an important role in achieving superior long sprint performance in 400-m specialized sprinters.

Sports Medicine and Kinesiology

Femoral length

Tibial length

Step frequency

Step length

Magnetic resonance imaging

Some morphological factors are associated with superior sprint performance in sprinters [1-7]. Sprint velocity is expressed as the product of step length and frequency [8], suggesting that morphological factors regulating the two sprint variables may play important roles in achieving superior sprint performance in sprinters. Of those, the leg length is a major morphological factor regulating step length [9, 10]; therefore, longer leg may be related to better sprint performance due to increase in step length during sprinting [11]. We and others previously found a positive relationship between leg length and running performance in endurance runners [12-14]. However, the effect of leg length on sprint performance in sprinters is still poorly understood.

Previous studies reported that step frequency may be the more important kinematic factor for sprint performance than step length [15-18]. Morin et al. [15] demonstrated a positive correlation between step frequency and sprint velocity during 100-m sprinting; however, as stated above, no such correlation was obtained with step length. Additionally, Hobara et al. [16] reported that step frequency correlated with vertical stiffness (i.e., the ratio of peak vertical force and vertical center of mass displacement), which is positively related to sprint velocity, during 400-m sprinting. However, no such correlation was also obtained with step length. Therefore, morphological factors regulating step frequency may be more important in achieving superior sprint performance than that regulating step length.

Physiological factors, including anaerobic capacity and fatigue resistance, are known to play important roles in achieving superior long sprint performance during 400 sprinting [19, 20]. The utilizations of these physiological capacities during a 400-m sprint can be mitigated by sprinting economically, which is performed with the favorable morphologies contributing long sprint performance. In general, the leg is swung forward with the knee bent during the swing phase while sprinting. Considering this leg behavior, an increased ratio of the lower leg length relative to the upper leg length (i.e., thigh length) may reduce the leg’s moment of inertia and positive work of the hip flexors during the swing phase, potentially due to decreased leg mass, because of a lower mass of the lower leg than that of the upper leg [21]. Therefore, this favorable morphology may be useful in enhancing step frequency and performing economical sprinting. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that a higher ratio of the lower leg length to upper leg length would be related to better sprint performance in sprinters, especially in the longer 400-m specialized sprinters.

In general, the leg length is measured using an anthropometrical technique, which is performed manually with a tape measure. Nevertheless, this technique may have a technical limitation due to the ambiguity in measuring the leg length. Compared to the anthropometrical measurement, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more appropriate for morphological measurements [1-7, 14, 22], including bone length measurements [4, 5, 14, 22]. To determine our hypothesis with high precision, we used MRI to examine the relationship between leg bone length and sprint performance in both 100-m and 400-m specialized sprinters.

Subjects

Fifty-six male sprinters participated in this study. Of those, 28 sprinters (age: 20.3 ± 1.6 years) specialized in the 100-m race and 28 sprinters (age: 20.1 ± 1.4 years) specialized in the 400-m race. Sprinters in each group were well-trained and competed regularly at their distances. Mean personal best time for the 100-m specialized sprinters was 11.05 ± 0.33 sec. Mean personal best time for the 400-m specialized sprinters was 49.96 ± 1.63 sec. Mean International Amateur Athletic Federation scores (an interindividual score for the comparison of competitive performances in different events) based on these personal best time were used as parameters for sprint performance in each group. All subjects were informed of the experimental procedures and provided written consent to participate in the study. All procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of Ritsumeikan University.

MRI measurements

Representative images for calculating the leg bone lengths on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are shown in Figure 1. The MRI measurement has been previously described [14]. The lengths of the femur and tibia were calculated from coronal images for the leg, respectively. The femoral length was calculated as the distance between the tip of the greater trochanter and the distal end of the lateral condyle of the femur. The tibial length was calculated as the distance between the proximal end of the lateral condyle and the distal inferior surface of the tibia. The total length of the femur and tibia was calculated to assess the overall leg bone length. To minimize differences in body size among participants, these both lengths were normalized to body height. The ratio of the tibial length to femoral length was calculated to evaluate interaction between the lengths of the upper and lower leg bones.

The analyses for measuring the lengths of the leg bones were conducted using image analysis software (OsiriX Version 5.6; OsiriX Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland). To determine the reproducibility of the leg bone length measurements, the length measurements of the femur and tibia were performed twice, and the mean of the two measurements was used. The coefficient of variation for the two measurements in all subjects was 0.1 ± 0.1% for the femoral length and 0.1 ± 0.1% for the tibial length. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the two measurements in all subjects was 1.000 (95% CI, 0.999-1.000) for the femoral length and 0.999 (95% CI, 0.999-1.000) for the tibial length. Moreover, our previous study has reported high reproducibility of the leg bone length measurements on 2 separate days [14]. Furthermore, in the present study, we examined the relationship between the lengths of the tibia and fibula to ensure the validity of the tibial length as the lower leg length. The fibular lengths in all subjects were calculated as the distance between the proximal end of the head and the distance end of the lateral malleolus of the fibula. A very strong correlation was observed between the lengths of the tibia and fibula (r = 0.922, P < 0.001).

Statistical analysis

The data are presented as the mean ± SD. Comparisons of groups were performed using an unpaired t-test. Relationship between variables was evaluated using a Pearson’s product moment correlation. Statistical significance was defined at P < 0.05. All statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS software (version 19.0; International Business Machines Corp, NY, USA).

IAAF scores did not differ significantly between 100-m specialized sprinters and 400-m specialized sprinters (873 ± 97 and 863 ± 97).

Physical characteristics and leg bone length variables of the 100-m and 400-m sprinters are summarized in Table 1. Physical characteristics (i.e., body height, body weight, and body mass index) did not differ significantly between 100-m and 400-m sprinters. Additionally, all leg bone length variables did not differ significantly between the two groups.

Coefficient correlations between leg bone length variables and IAAF score of the 100-m and 400-m sprinters are summarized in Table 2. Absolute and relative lengths of the femur and tibia did not correlate significantly with IAAF scores in both 100-m and 400-m sprinters. Absolute and relative total lengths of the femur and tibia also did not correlate significantly with IAAF Score in the two groups. Furthermore, there was no significant correlation between the ratio of the tibia length to femur length and IAAF score in 100-m sprinters. By contrast, the ratio of the tibia length to femur length correlated significantly with IAAF score in 400-m sprinters.

The primary finding of the present study was that a higher ratio of the tibia length to femoral length correlated with better IAAF score in 400-m sprinters, but not 100-m sprinters. A maintenance of step frequency during 400-m sprinting is required for achieving superior long sprint performance [16, 23]. Morphological factors appear to contribute to the maintenance of step frequency, potentially by occurring economical sprinting [5, 6]. The ratio of the tibial length and femoral length may be useful in reducing the leg’s moment of inertia and positive work of the hip flexors during the swing phase while sprinting. Thus, this favorable morphology may help achieve superior long sprint performance, potentially by maintaining step frequency and performing economical sprinting and in 400-m specialized sprinters.

The present study determined no correlation between the ratio of the tibia length to femur length and IAAF score in 100-m sprinters. Generally speaking, superior 100-m sprint performance may not require being economical because sprint velocity during 100-m sprinting does not decrease significantly compared with that during 400-m sprinting [11, 24]. Additionally, previous studies determined that superior 100-m sprint performance is related to greater ground reaction force during 100-m sprinting [15, 40]. An increase in ground reaction force during 100-m sprinting is associated with larger sizes of some leg muscles because of the positive relationships between these muscle sizes and 100-m sprint performance [1, 3, 7]. In particular, previous studies determined that greater thigh muscles, including the quadriceps femoris and hamstring, correlated with better 100-m sprint performance in sprinters [1, 3, 7]. When having a higher ratio of the tibial length to femoral length in 100-m sprinters, this morphology may be modeling smaller thigh muscles due to a necessary shortening of the thigh length, which may be disadvantageous in achieving superior 100-m sprint performance. Therefore, the ratio between the leg bone lengths may not influence 100-m sprint performance in 100-m specialized sprinters.

We previously reported that MRI-measured leg bone length correlated with running performance in endurance runners [14]. By contrast, in the present study, we found that absolute and relative leg lengths of the femur and tibia did not correlate with sprint performance in both 100-m and 400-m sprinters. Moreover, the absolute and relative total length of the femur and tibia also did not correlate with sprint performance in both groups. Despite it is the fact that longer leg is associated with an increase in step length during sprinting [9, 10], step length, compared to step frequency, may be a less important kinematic factor for superior sprint performance during both 100-m and 400-m sprinting [15-17]; in other words, an increase in step length may be not required for achieving superior sprint performance. In only one study, Morin et al. [15] reported that relative leg length, which normalized to body height, did not correlate with 100-m sprint velocity. Therefore, the present findings collaborate with their result by showing the absence of the relationship between leg length and sprint performance in 100-m specialized sprinters. Furthermore, the present study is the first to determine that longer leg may not be required for achieving superior long sprint performance in 400-m specialized sprinters.

In a recent study, we reported that longer forefoot bones correlated with better long sprint performance in 400-m sprinters [5]. Moreover, we demonstrated that a positive relationship between greater knee extensor moment arm and better long sprint performance in 400-m sprinters [6]. To the best of our knowledge, no other studies besides our previous studies have reported important morphological factors for long sprint performance in 400-m sprinters. The favorable morphological factors (i.e., forefoot bone length and knee extensor moment arm dimension) for superior 400-m sprint performance obtained in our previous studies are also determinants in achieving superior 100-m sprint performance [2, 4]. By contrast, a higher ratio of the tibia length to femoral length was determinant only of 400-m sprinters, but not 100-m sprinters. Therefore, the present study is also the first to find a specific morphological factor contributing superior long sprint performance in 400-m specialized sprinters. The information may be useful for selecting sprint events and for understanding the individual features in sprinters, particularly 400-m specialized sprinters.

We hypothesized that a higher ratio of the tibial length relative to femoral length may help achieve superior long sprint performance, potentially by maintaining step frequency and performing economical sprinting in 400-m specialized sprinters. However, we did not perform analysis of the kinetic and kinematic data during 400-m sprinting. Further studies are needed to examine the relationships between leg bone length variables and kinetic and kinematic data during 400-m sprinting.

IAAF; International Amateur Athletic Federation, MRI: magnetic resonance imaging.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all subjects who gave of their time and effort to participate in this study.

Authors’ contribution

DT and TS conceived and designed the experiment; DT TS MT TT YM HU and MO performed experiments; DT and TS analyzed data; DT TS MT TT YM HU MO AN and TI interpreted results of experiments; DT and TS wrote the manuscript; MT MO AN and TI edited and revised manuscript. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

Funding

There were no specific grants or funding for the present study.

Availability of data and materials

Data will be provided the corresponding author upon request.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Ritsumeikan University (BKC-IRB-2011-009). Informed written consent was obtained from all participants.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Authors’ details

¹Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan.

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Table 1. Physical characteristics and leg bone length variables in 100-m and 400-m specialized sprinters

	100-m sprinters	400-m sprinters	F	P	Cohen’s d
Body height, cm	173.2±4.0	172.4±4.1	0.088	0.437	0.198
Body weight, kg	64.6±5.2	62.8±4.1	1.462	0.173	0.384
Body mass index, kg/m²	21.5±1.3	21.1±0.9	3.925	0.232	0.358
Leg bone length
Femur, mm	432.0±15.6	430.8±12.2	1.588	0.737	0.086
Tibia, mm	359.7±14.7	357.9±13.0	1.678	0.620	0.130
Relative leg bone length
Femur, % of body height	24.9±0.6	25.0±0.4	3.868	0.696	0.196
Tibia, % of body height	20.8±0.6	20.8±0.6	0.210	0.984	0.000
Total leg bone length
Femur + Tibia, mm	791.7±29.5	788.6±23.2	2.311	0.663	0.117
Relative total leg bone length
Femur + Tibia, % of body height	45.7±1.1	45.7±0.8	3.466	0.850	0.000
Ratio between leg bones
Tibia/Femur, mm/mm	0.83±0.02	0.83±0.02	3.626	0.670	0.000

Values are presented as Mean ± SD.

Table 2. Correlation coefficients between leg bone length variables and sprint performance (International Amateur Athletic Federation score) in 100-m and 400-m specialized sprinters

	100-m sprinters		400-m sprinters
	r [lower limit, upper limit]	P value	r [lower limit, upper limit]	P value
Leg bone length
Femur	-0.166 [-0.508, 0.221]	0.399	0.007 [-0.367, 0.379]	0.970
Tibia	-0.173 [-0.513, 0.214]	0.380	0.336 [-0.042, 0.630]	0.081
Relative leg bone length
Femur	0.004 [-0.370, 0.377]	0.983	-0.273 [-0.586, 0.111]	0.160
Tibia	-0.036 [-0.404, 0.342]	0.857	0.257 [-0.128, 0.575]	0.187
Total bone length
Femur + Tibia	-0.174 [-0.514, 0.213]	0.376	0.191 [-0.196, 0.527]	0.330
Relative total leg bone length
Femur + Tibia	-0.016 [-0.387, 0.359]	0.935	0.040 [-0.338, 0.407]	0.841
Ratio between leg bone lengths
Tibia/Femur	-0.017 [-0.388, 0.358]	0.932	0.445 [0.086, 0.702]	0.018

International Amateur Athletic Federation scores, based on the personal best times of each event for 100-m and 400-m specialized sprinters were used as parameters for sprint performance. Bold values indicate a significant correlation (P < 0.05) between leg bone length variable and sprint performance in 400-m specialized sprinters.

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Editorial decision: Major revision
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Relationship between leg bone length and sprint performance in sprinters; Are there any event-related differences in 100-m and 400-m sprints?

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