INTRODUCTION

Our study aimed to analyze the quantitative differences between running on land and running in water. Our subject was a varsity track athlete at the University of Michigan who was experienced in both aquatic and land running. Aquatic running is often used by injured athletes to improve joint range of motion, while avoiding excessive loads on the injured joints experienced while running on land. We chose to analyze the ankle, hip, and knee in an attempt to examine the kinematic differences in the joint angles.

The purpose of our analysis is to establish that aquatic running can be an advantageous training modality. This may be due to the fact that there is an increase in the range of motion at the knee and ankle joints in the water. Via this analysis we hope to establish that a greater range of motion is possible in aquatic running.