Sleep Deprivation Alters Your Running Gait

Sleep Deprivation Alters Your Running Gait

Read the centre's perspective on how a single sleepless night could leave a detectable fingerprint in the way you move.

A recent study reported in Bioengineer.org found that just one night without sleep produces measurable changes in a runner's gait — detectable by both a laboratory motion capture system and a single wearable sensor worn on the lower back. The research suggests these changes include slower cadence, longer ground contact time, and reduced loading, with implications for injury risk and athletic performance.

Our take: This research is a compelling reminder that gait is a sensitive physiological signal, not just a mechanical one. Objective 3D motion capture — the kind we use daily in clinical practice — is precisely the tool needed to detect these subtle but meaningful changes.

About the authors
Mr Ron McCulloch — Consultant Podiatric Surgeon, Centre Director, and specialist in clinical biomechanics, gait analysis and Morton's neuroma.
Dr Andrew Collinson — PhD in clinical biomechanics.

Source: Bioengineer.org · https://londonpodiatry.com/en/specialities/Gait-biomechanics/