Gait kinetics, kinematics, spatiotemporal and foot plantar pressure alteration in response to long-distance running: Systematic review

•Healthy runners may modify their running style to minimise excessive joint loading.•Following long distance running pressure under the metatarsal region increased.•Following long distance running involvement of the toes decreased.•There were acute changes in kinetics and kinematics after long distance running. The aim of this systematic review was to obtain an improved insight of the present state of knowledge regarding the effect of long-distance running on gait kinetics, kinematics, spatiotemporal and foot plantar pressure. Electronic databases were searched for articles relating to biomechanical modification following long-distance running, published in English between 1990 and 2016. All the studies presenting gait parameters before and after long-distance running were included. A modified Quality Index was used for assessing methodological quality. Thirteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Five of 13 studies measured plantar pressure, reporting that the loading under the metatarsal regions were shown to be the highest following long-distance running. Ten studies reported spatiotemporal changes; step and stride frequency were generally increased, while stride length and aerial time were decreased after running. Four studies measured kinetics, indicating that vertical ground reaction force (GRF) was generally decreased, whereas impact acceleration was increased. Four studies showed that the lower limb kinematics and the foot strike techniques were altered by long-distance running. Three studies performed a second follow-up, revealing that the changes were generally returned to baseline levels. This is the first systematic review to examine the effect of long-distance running on gait kinetics, kinematics, spatiotemporal and foot plantar pressure.