The Effect of Breathing Pattern and Heel Strike Pattern on Peak Ground Reaction Force at Initial Contact During Walking

Abstract

It has been proposed that during running, the greatest force occurs when the foot strikes the ground and simultaneously exhalation occurs at initial heel contact. As a result, breathing retraining has been used as a method to prevent lower extremity overuse injuries by modifying an individual's breathing pattern and consequently, reducing ground reaction forces. There is, however, little research exploring this link during walking. This study explored the interaction effect between the phase of respiration and foot strike pattern on measures of ground reaction forces while walking. The study also examined the correlation between the phase of respiration and peak forces. The research findings did not support the concept of breathing synchronization with higher ground reaction forces when exhalation occurred at heel strike during walking. The biomechanics of walking are very different than running and, therefore, the utility of breathing retraining may not be supported as has been proposed for running.