A Primer on Wearable Technology for Injury Risk Management in Distance Running

This book chapter is devoted to the biomechanical interaction of human running with the latest generation of wearable technology. Wearables are transforming the field of biomechanics because they can capture movement outside the laboratory, allowing for new applications in sports. One application is real-time feedback on a biomechanics parameter for injury risk management in distance running. Feedback devices are increasingly used in training practices to this end. The reader will be informed on the development, validation, and evaluation of a rather unique wearable feedback device for impact reduction further in this chapter. A narrative review of scientific studies will be shared with you. These studies resulted from the collaborative efforts of research groups at Ghent University and imec Ghent (i.e., the research unit for Biomechanics of Human Movement, the Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music, the Center for Microsystems Technology, and the Internet Technology and Data Science Lab). The presented findings offer a better understanding to runners, coaches, and clinicians who may want to encourge impact reduction in runners. I hasten to add that this chapter is merely a small stroke on the surface of a large canvas. The pace of study of wearable technology in running has never been this fast, paralleling the popularity of distance running as a sport.