Open Access

Markus Hipper, Luca Braun, Yannick Denis, Bastian Anedda, Janina Helwig, Steffen Willwacher

• We investigated the trade-off between metabolic cost and dynamic stability in 15 recreational runners who experienced sudden slip-like anteroposterior perturbations (SLAPs) during treadmill running (2.5 m/s). Following SLAPs, a significant 3.4% increase in the cost of transport was observed. However, there were no significant changes in single gait parameters or lower limb kinematics in theWe investigated the trade-off between metabolic cost and dynamic stability in 15 recreational runners who experienced sudden slip-like anteroposterior perturbations (SLAPs) during treadmill running (2.5 m/s). Following SLAPs, a significant 3.4% increase in the cost of transport was observed. However, there were no significant changes in single gait parameters or lower limb kinematics in the sagittal plane. Future investigations should explore the underlying neuromuscular mechanisms and broader functional biomechanical variables. Overall, we show that human motor control prioritizes dynamic stability more when expecting SLAPs compared to non-expecting them, highlighting a potential trade-off between metabolic efficiency and traumatic injury prevention that warrants further exploration of underlying mechanisms.…