Kings of the Track Share Traits With Speedy Cats
By SINDYA N. BHANOO
Published: December 26, 2011
The foot and ankle structure of human sprinters resembles that of cheetahs and greyhounds, a new study reports.
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Compared with nonsprinters, they have longer forefeet and their ankle joints are closer to their Achilles tendon.
As in their speedy counterparts in the animal kingdom, this structure provides force generating advantages to the calf muscles, said the study’s first author, Josh Baxter, a doctoral student doing research in biomechanics at Penn State. He and his colleagues published the findings in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
“If you have a longer forefoot, you’re able to stay in contact with the ground for a longer period of time, and this allows you to push off better and move forward at the start of the sprint race,” Mr. Baxter said.
The researchers compared the feet and ankles of male sprinters who train and compete regularly with those of male nonsprinters of the same height.
It is unclear whether the longer forefoot is a result of training or sprinters are born with this feature, Mr. Baxter said.
“We’re not really sure,” he said. “A really exciting study would be to follow young athletes, even before puberty, and watch them progress throughout their development.”
Although the study is focused on sprinters, such research provides insight into how all humans move, Mr. Baxter said, adding, “It sheds some light on how people with movement disorders can be helped, and how elderly people can regain some of their mobility.”
A version of this article appeared in print on December 27, 2011, on page D3 of the New York edition with the headline: Kings of the Track Share Traits With Speedy Cats.
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