Does Listening to Music Alter the Running Mechanics?

NCT03506282 | Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: USassari
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether in healthy subjects listening to music while running influences the ground pressure forces, the vertical loading and, overall, the running biomechanics.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Running biomechanics; Vertical loading rate; Music exercise; Gait analysis

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Average ground pressure force

  This outcome expresses the mean amount of impact recorded by the force plates embedded in the treadmill.

  It will be assessed for each participant and for each arm of the study during the three 2-minute runs on the treadmill through study completion, an average of 1 year.

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Peak ground pressure force

  It will be assessed for each participant and for each arm of the study during the three 2-minute runs on the treadmill through study completion, an average of 1 year.

• Average vertical loading rate

  It will be assessed for each participant and for each arm of the study during the three 2-minute runs on the treadmill through study completion, an average of 1 year.

• Stride length

  It will be assessed for each participant and for each arm of the study during the three 2-minute runs on the treadmill through study completion, an average of 1 year.

• Stride time

  It will be assessed for each participant and for each arm of the study during the three 2-minute runs on the treadmill through study completion, an average of 1 year.

Study Arms (4)

No music

NO INTERVENTION

The participants will be required to run on a treadmill at 3 different speeds (6-8-10 km/h) with no music.

Traffic audio track

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

In addition to running on the treadmill, participants will be listening to an audio track resembling normal outdoor noise (70 dB) through earphones connected to a mobile phone.

Other: Running while listening to a traffic audio track

Music at moderate volume

EXPERIMENTAL

In addition to running on the treadmill, participants will be listening to music at a moderate volume (80 dB) through earphones connected to a mobile phone.

Other: Running with music at moderate volume

Music at moderate-to-high volume

EXPERIMENTAL

In addition to running on the treadmill, participants will be listening to music at a moderate-to-high volume (85 dB) through earphones connected to a mobile phone.

Other: Running with music at moderate-to-high volume

Interventions

Running while listening to a traffic audio track OTHER

While running three 2-minute sets at different velocities (6, 8 and 10 km/h, respectively) on a sensorized treadmill, each participant will be exposed via earphones to an audio track resembling average outdoor conditions (70 dB).

Also known as: Traffic audio track

Traffic audio track

Running with music at moderate volume OTHER

While running three 2-minute sets at different velocities (6, 8 and 10 km/h, respectively) on a sensorized treadmill, each participant will be provided the same music track ("We take care of our own", by Bruce Springsteen from the "Wrecking Ball" album, 2012). The music track will be given at a moderate volume (80 dB).

Also known as: Music at moderate volume

Music at moderate volume

Running with music at moderate-to-high volume OTHER

While running three 2-minute sets at different velocities (6, 8 and 10 km/h, respectively) on a sensorized treadmill, each participant will be provided the same music track ("We take care of our own", by Bruce Springsteen from the "Wrecking Ball" album, 2012). The music track will be given at a moderate-to-high volume (85 dB).

Also known as: Music at moderate-to-high volume

Music at moderate-to-high volume

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Healthy subjects
• Age 18-35 years
• Level of fitness: Moderate level (ACTIVE) according to the classification of the American College of Sports Medicine depicting "Moderate" as either of the following 3 criteria:
• or more days of vigorous activity of at least 20 minutes per day OR
• or more days of moderate-intensity activity and/or walking of at least 30 minutes per day OR
• or more days of any combination of walking, moderate-intensity or vigorous intensity activities achieving a minimum of at least 600 metabolic equivalents (METs) per week.
• able to run on a treadmill safely and without bilateral or unilateral support.

You may not qualify if:

• Past or present diseases of the auditory and vestibular system (as assessed by otolaryngological and audiometric examinations).
• Traumatology/orthopedic conditions that contraindicate treadmill training.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Università degli Studi di Sassari: lead

Study Sites (2)

Department of Biomedical Sciences- University of Sassari

Sassari, Sassari (SS), 07100, Italy

RECRUITING

University of Sassari

Sassari, Sassari, 07100, Italy

RECRUITING

Related Publications (2)

• Manca A, Cugusi L, Pomidori L, Felisatti M, Altavilla G, Zocca E, Zocca M, Bussu F, Dvir Z, Deriu F. Listening to music while running alters ground reaction forces: a study of acute exposure to varying speed and loudness levels in young women and men. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2020 Jun;120(6):1391-1401. doi: 10.1007/s00421-020-04371-z. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

  PMID: 32277258 BACKGROUND

• Manca A, Cugusi L, Behm D, Dvir Z, Ferber R, Deriu F. More on "listening to music while running alters ground reaction forces": why women and men pound the ground differently? Eur J Appl Physiol. 2021 Jan;121(1):351-352. doi: 10.1007/s00421-020-04517-z. Epub 2020 Sep 30. No abstract available.

  PMID: 32997258 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• NLM Pubmed

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Running

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Locomotion; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise; Motor Activity

Study Officials

• Manca Andrea, PhD

  University of Sassari, Department of Biomedical Sciences

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Franca Deriu, PhD

  University of Sassari, Department of Biomedical Sciences

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Lucia Cugusi, PhD

  University of Cagliari, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Pomidori Luca, PhD

  Esercizio Vita Medical Fitness

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Felisatti Michele, PhD

  Esercizio Vita Medical Fitness

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Manca Andrea, PhD

CONTACT

+39 079228154; andmanca@uniss.it

Michele Felisatti, PhD

CONTACT

+39 349 8054363; m.felisatti@eserciziovita.it

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The participants and the research assistant operator who will deliver the experimental conditions will not be masked to the condition whilst the outcome assessor, the statistician and the principal investigator will be blinded.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: The experimental conditions to be tested in each subject will be: 0, running with no music; 1, running and listening to audio track resembling normal outdoor noise (70 dB); 2, running with music at moderate volume (80 dB); 3, running with music at moderate to high volume (85 dB). The experimental conditions will be carried out in random order, with a wash-out period of 10 minutes, to ensure the return to the auditory and vestibular baseline. Depending on the random sequence generated, the subject will undergo the four conditions in the specified order. Each condition will be completed with the three steps lasting 2 mins each (A, running at 6 km/h; B, running at 8 km/h; C, running at 10 km/h) and carried out at 1-min time interval in between, before proceeding to the next one. A complete rest of 10 minutes will be allowed among the conditions to restore the physiological state of the auditory and vestibular systems and to recover from the submaximal running effort.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 13, 2018
• First Posted: April 24, 2018
• Study Start: July 15, 2018
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: April 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Locations

IT (2)