The presence of fatigue has been shown to modify running biomechanics. Overall in terms of gender, women are at lower risk than men for sustaining running-related injuries, although it depends on the factors taken into account. One possible reason for these differences in the injury rate and location might be the dissimilar running patterns between men and women. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fatigue and gender on the kinematic and ground reaction forces (GRF) parameters in recreational runners. Fifty-seven participants (28 males and 29 females) had kinematic and GRF variables measured while running at speed of 3.3 m s⁻¹ before and after a fatigue test protocol. The fatigue protocol included (1) a running Course-Navette test, (2) running up and down a flight of stairs for 5 min, and (3) performance of alternating jumps on a step (five sets of 1 minute each with 30 resting seconds between the sets). Fatigue decreased dorsiflexion (14.24 ± 4.98° in pre-fatigue and 12.65 ± 6.21° in fatigue condition, p < 0.05) at foot strike phase in females, and plantar flexion (−19.23 ± 4.12° in pre-fatigue and −18.26 ± 5.31° in fatigue condition, p < 0.05) at toe-off phase in males. These changes led to a decreased loading rate (88.14 ± 25.82 BW/s in pre-fatigue and 83.97 ± 18.83 BW/s in fatigue condition, p < 0.05) and the impact peak in females (1.95 ± 0.31 BW in pre-fatigue and 1.90 ± 0.31 BW in fatigue condition, p < 0.05), and higher peak propulsive forces in males (−0.26 ± 0.04 BW in pre-fatigue and −0.27 ± 0.05 BW in fatigue condition, p < 0.05) in the fatigue condition. It seems that better responses to impact under a fatigue condition are observed among women. Further studies should confirm whether these changes represent a strategy to optimize shock attenuation, prevent running injuries and improve running economy.

This study focuses on determining the effects of the upper material of running shoes on the mechanical power flows of the muscles of the lower limbs during the support phase of running. Two models of running shoes—differentiated only by the upper structure and material—have been used, being randomly assigned to 19 participants. Five measurements of each participant per shoe model were obtained at 3.3 m·s⁻¹ to perform inverse dynamic analysis with the data obtained. Statistically significant differences have been found between the two models for the muscle power flow variables in the ankle, knee and hip joints, as well as at the ends of adjacent segments. The KNIT-upper model (model 2) presents higher generation (8.87 ± 7.63 W/kg; p < .001; d = -.13) and less absorption (−5.11 W/kg; p < .001; d = −6.7) of mechanical power in the ankle compared to the MESH-upper model (model 1). The mechanical power flows in the knee and hip indicate that with model 2, greater mechanical power is generated and absorbed by the flexor and extensor muscle groups of these joints compared to model 1 (-.38 ± 2.9 W/kg vs -.22 ± 2.54 W/kg for the knee and −1.75 ± 2.91 W/kg vs −1.15 ± 2.07 W/kg for the hip, respectively). Therefore, it can be concluded that the upper material has an influence on mechanical power flow patterns. However, more studies are needed in order to accurately and reliably establish the impact that the upper material of the shoes has on performance and on the prevention of sports injuries.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are becoming a regular tool to support biomechanical methods, while physics-based models are widespread to understand the mechanics of body in motion. Thus, this study aimed to demonstrate the accuracy of recurrent ANN models compared with a physics-based approach in the task of predicting ground reaction forces and net lower limb joint moments during running. An inertial motion capture system and a force plate were used to collect running biomechanics data for training the ANN. Kinematic data from optical motion capture systems, sourced from publicly available databases, were used to evaluate the prediction performance and accuracy of the ANN. The linear and angular momentum theorems were applied to compute ground reaction forces and joint moments in the physics-based approach. The main finding indicates that the recurrent ANN tends to outperform the physics-based approach significantly (P < .05) at similar and higher running velocities for which the ANN was trained, specifically in the anteroposterior, vertical, and mediolateral ground reaction forces, as well as for the knee and ankle flexion moments, and hip abduction and rotation moments. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the trained recurrent ANN can be used to predict running kinetic data from kinematics obtained with different experimental techniques and sources.

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) results in prolonged muscle weakness, impaired neuromuscular control, and delayed return to sport. Cross-education (CE), unilateral training of the uninjured limb, has been proposed as an adjunct therapy to promote bilateral adaptations. This scoping review evaluated the functional and neuroplastic effects of CE rehabilitation post-ACLR. Following PRISMA-ScR and JBI guidelines, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PEDro were searched up to February 2025. A bibliometric analysis was also conducted to report keyword co-occurrence and identify trends in this line of research. Of 333 screened references, 14 studies (price index: 43% and low-to-moderate risk of bias) involving 721 participants (aged 17–45 years) met inclusion criteria. CE protocols (6–12 weeks; 2–5 sessions/week) incorporating isometric, concentric, and eccentric exercises demonstrated strength gains (10–31%) and strength preservation, alongside improved limb symmetry (5–14%) and dynamic balance (7–18%). There is growing interest in neuroplasticity and corticospinal excitability, although neuroplastic changes were assessed heterogeneously across studies. Findings support CE as a feasible and low-cost strategy to complement early-stage ACLR rehabilitation, especially when direct loading of the affected limb is limited. Standardized protocols for clinical intervention and neurophysiological assessment are needed.

Objetivo: determinar la relación entre el tipo de recepción, el tiempo de ataque, el tipo de ataque y la dirección de ataque con el resultado final del remate del central en una pierna por las zonas del campo establecidas como “A”, “B” y “C” por el Sistema Diagonal Combinado. Método: se analizaron por vídeo 269 acciones de ataque de varios partidos femeninos del Eurovolley 2017. Resultados: los resultados mostraron que existe una relación positiva entre el tipo de recepción, el tiempo de ataque, el tipo de ataque y la dirección del ataque con el resultado final del remate. Por otro lado, el ataque más efectivo es realizado después de una recepción doble positiva y, en segundo lugar, después de una defensa. La velocidad de ataque que mayor coeficiente de rendimiento obtuvo es al primer tiempo. En cuanto al tipo de ataque, el “fast” fue el que mejor resultado obtuvo, pero también con el que más errores se cometieron, si se compara con el “gancho” y la “slide”, mientras que la zona de ataque más efectiva fue el remate que va dirigido hacia zona 6. El remate a la diagonal obtuvo resultados similares en los puntos conseguidos que el remate a la línea, pero con un menor porcentaje de error. Conclusiones: el ataque después de una recepción doble positiva, el ataque al primer tiempo, el remate a la diagonal y el remate “fast” fueron las acciones con las que se obtuvo mejor rendimiento deportivo y provocó una mayor desorganización defensiva rival. Palabras clave: rendimiento deportivo, remate, análisis táctico, tiempo de ataque, dirección del remate. Objective: to determine the relationship between the type of reception, the time of attack, the type of attack and the direction of attack with the final result of the central shot on one leg through the areas of the field established as "A", "B" and "C" for the Combined Diagonal System. Methods: 269 attack actions from various Eurovolley 2017 women's matches were analyzed by video. Results: the results showed that there is a positive relationship between the type of reception, the time of attack, the type of attack and the direction of the attack with the final result of the shot. On the other hand, the most effective attack is made after a positive double catch and, secondly, after a defense. The attack speed that obtained the highest coefficient of performance is at the first half. Regarding the type of attack, the "fast" was the one that obtained the best result but also the one with the most mistakes, if compared with the "hook" and the "slide", while the most effective attack zone was the shot that goes towards zone 6. The shot to the diagonal obtained similar results in the points achieved as the shot to the line but with a lower percentage of error. Conclusions: the attack after a positive double reception, the attack at the first half, the shot to the diagonal and the shot "fast" were the actions with which better sports performance was obtained and caused a greater rival defensive disorganization. Keywords: sports performance, spike, tactical analysis, attack time, spike direction.