{"143521":{"#nid":"143521","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Science of Running: Follow the Bouncing Ball","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMuscle size, genetics and training are among the countless factors that separate Olympic sprinters from the average person. On a fundamental level, however, the mechanics of running are the same for all humans. In fact, they\u2019re basically identical for animals too.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cScience has shown that running is very similar to a bouncing ball,\u201d says Young-Hui Chang, an associate professor who oversees Georgia Tech\u2019s \u201crunning lab,\u201d officially called the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ap.gatech.edu\/Chang\/CNL.php\u0022\u003EComparative Neuromechanics Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cWhen humans, horses and even cockroaches run, their center of mass bounces just like a pogo stick.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis bouncing effect, Chang explains, means that the hip, knee and ankle joints all flex and extend at the same time when the foot hits the ground. Many of the leg muscles are turned on simultaneously, creating force and propelling the runner into the air.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe greater the force, the greater the speed,\u201d said Chang. \u201cSprinters and coaches are constantly studying ways to move leg muscles and joints as quickly as possible so that a runner can hit the ground as hard as possible.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EElite runners and weekend joggers are able to consistently land with the same force, step after step. However, Chang\u2019s research reveals that a stride is just like a fingerprint: no two are exactly alike. The torque generated by each joint is never the same. As a result, your legs have a mind of their own.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYour knee, for example, automatically adjusts its own torque, each step, based on what the ankle and hip do,\u201d said Chang. \u201cAll of this happens without your brain getting directly involved. Your joints \u2018talk\u2019 to each other, allowing you to concentrate on other things, like having a conversation or watching for cars.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy studying how joints adapt to one another, Chang and his team will soon work with amputees to hopefully improve movement for people with prostheses. The researchers are also using their running studies to understand how people walk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt may seem backwards to fully understand the nuances of running before we study walking, but walking mechanics are actually more complex. Different muscles are activated at different times in a gait cycle. Joints don\u2019t move in unison. There is no \u2018bouncing ball\u2019 phenomenon for walkers.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo learn more about the science of running, click \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dpqSWHi211A\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChang is an associate professor in the School of Applied Physiology in the College of Sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMuscle size, genetics and training are among the countless factors that separate Olympic sprinters from the average person. On a fundamental level, however, the mechanics of running are the same for all humans. In fact, they\u2019re basically identical for animals too.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Science has shown that running is very similar to a bouncing ball and a pogo stick."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-08-01 10:08:03","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:36","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"143491":{"id":"143491","type":"image","title":"Young-Hui Chang","body":null,"created":"1449178739","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:59","changed":"1475894777","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:17","alt":"Young-Hui Chang","file":{"fid":"195010","name":"yhchang.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yhchang_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yhchang_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":58014,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/yhchang_0.jpg?itok=LfQ1fygx"}}},"media_ids":["143491"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ap.gatech.edu\/Chang\/CNL.php","title":"Comparative Neuromechanics Laboratory"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"39261","name":"Joints"},{"id":"39271","name":"Knees"},{"id":"4285","name":"running"},{"id":"167863","name":"School of Applied Physiology"},{"id":"171217","name":"Speed"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}