A comparison of the oxygen cost and physiological responses to running in children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder.
Kids with DCD burn the same oxygen while running but experience higher heart rate, lactate, and pain—build graded, fun sessions to keep them engaged.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers compared boys with Developmental Coordination Disorder to boys without it.
All kids ran on a treadmill while the team measured oxygen use, heart rate, lactate, and pain.
The goal was to see if running costs more energy for kids who move clumsily.
What they found
Both groups used the same amount of oxygen per stride.
Yet the DCD group had higher heart rate, more lactate, and more pain.
Same fuel bill, but the engine ran hotter and felt worse.
How this fits with other research
Robertson et al. (2013) looked at the same question on a bike and found the opposite: kids with DCD used about 20% more oxygen at every workload.
The difference is the machine. Running is a natural stride; cycling is an outside force.
Xenitidis et al. (2010) and Li et al. (2011) already showed these kids have lower peak fitness and lose strength each year.
Farhat et al. (2015) added that extra body weight hurts their strength only, so the higher pain in Peters et al. (2013) may come from working harder to stay balanced.
Why it matters
You now know a child with DCD can keep pace on the playground, but inside they are red-lining.
Plan short, game-like movement bursts, not long laps.
Watch face color and breathing; they won’t complain until they are well past comfort.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the oxygen cost of running in boys with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Fourteen boys with DCD (9.1 ± 1.4 yr) and 16 typically developing (TD) controls (9.4 ± 1.3 yr) were tested on two separate occasions at least a week apart. On the first visit, motor proficiency, body composition and maximal aerobic capacity were established. On the second visit, oxygen consumption was determined via indirect calorimetry while participants ran at three submaximal speeds (7.2 km/h, 8.0 km/h and 8.8 km/h) on a motorised treadmill for 4 min each. Additional physiological responses such as blood lactate, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate, salivary alpha amylase and pain threshold were monitored at baseline and after each submaximal effort. Although there were no differences in the oxygen cost of running at all three speeds, the boys with DCD had higher blood lactate concentration (7.2 km/h, p=0.05; 8.0 km/h p=0.019), heart rate (p ≤ 0.001), RER (8.0 km/h, p=0.019; 8.8 km/h, p=0.001), salivary alpha amylase (8.0 km/h, p=0.023; 8.8 km/h, p=0.020) and a lower pain threshold (p<0.01). The higher overall metabolic cost of running in boys with DCD as indicated by the higher RER, heart rate and blood lactate concentrations, together with the higher levels of sympathoadrenal medullary activity and sensitivity to pain, may be deterring factors for participation in physical activity in this population.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.023