The Effects of Varying Ground Surfaces One Footstrike Hemolysis in Runners

Overview

Iron-deficiency anemia is a health condition where low levels of iron in the body cause shortness of breath and fatigue. Due to its negative impact on running performance and higher prevalence in runners, there has been growing research regarding the causes of runner’s anemia. One such cause is a condition called footstrike hemolysis. Foot-strike hemolysis is a condition commonly found in athletes where the repetitive and forceful impact on ground surfaces induces the rupturing and destruction of red blood cells in small capillaries in the foot, decreasing iron levels in the body. While past literature has determined a correlation between impact force and hemolysis, further research needs to be done to determine the impact of training surface on hemolysis. To test this, a capillary model system was created where four subjects were asked to run on three different training surfaces for a period of 20 minutes with an insole model placed in their shoe. This insole tube, containing a small blood sample, was removed after the exercise and the relative degree of hemolysis was measured via the cyanmethemoglobin method. The degree of hemolysis was found to be higher in the trials conducted on grass with absorbance readings being the highest in these trials. The degree of hemolysis was found to be the lowest on concrete. Future work would include developing orthotic devices to accommodate iron loss through foot-strike hemolysis. Additionally, this research can be used by coaches to enhance their training regimens to reduce impact force.

Competition history

• AJAS 2024 Category not listed

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