Methodology to Analyse Three-Dimensional Asymmetries in the Forces Applied to the Pedals in Cycling

The asymmetries study between both legs of the forces applied to the pedals in cycling is important because they may affect the performance of the cyclist or prevent the occurrence of injuries. Studies focused on analysing asymmetries in forces tend to consider only the effective force, disregarding the three-dimensional nature of the force. Furthermore, these studies do not analyse the possible physical or neurological causes that may have led to the appearance of the asymmetries. This paper presents a methodology to carry out three-dimensional analysis of the asymmetries of the forces applied in both pedals and discriminate the possible sources of these asymmetries. Seven participants, amateurs and without pathologies, were analysed. Two commercial pedals were instrumented to measure the three components of the force applied to each pedal. The Normalized Symmetry Index (NSI) and the Cross Correlation Coefficient (CCC) were used for the asymmetries analysis. Results showed that both indexes need to be used in conjunction to analyse the causes of asymmetry in the pedal forces from a 3D perspective along the pedal cycle. The NSI is an index that makes it possible to evaluate asymmetry by considering only the value of the force applied by each leg at each instant. The CCC makes it possible to evaluate whether the temporal evolutions of the forces applied by each leg are similar. Preliminary results suggest that the proposed methodology is effective for analysing asymmetries in the forces in a pedalling cycle from a three-dimensional point of view. Forces in the sagittal plane showed a high level of symmetry. The lateral-medial force presented the highest level of asymmetry due to the difference in the magnitudes of the applied forces by both legs and the existing time shift between the two force patterns. The results of this work will allow for more complete and accurate three-dimensional dynamic analyses of the lower body during pedalling.