The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ankle bracing on vertical jump performance and lower extremity kinematics and electromyography (EMG) activity. Twenty healthy college athletes participated in two sessions, separated by a minimum of 24 hr. They performed five jumps with no brace on the first day, and five jumps with both ankles braced on the second day. An average of the three highest jumps each day was used for analysis. Braced vertical jump performance significantly decreased (p = .002) as compared with the unbraced condition. In addition, hip flexion (p = .043) and ankle plantar flexion (p = .001) angles were significantly smaller during the braced vertical jump. There was also a significant reduction in soleus muscle EMG (p = .002) during the braced condition.
Search Results
Ankle Bracing Decreases Vertical Jump Height and Alters Lower Extremity Kinematics
Bradley Smith, Tina Claiborne, and Victor Liberi
Lower Extremity Biomechanical Differences Between Female Dancers and Soccer Players
Hayley M. Ericksen and Rachele E. Vogelpohl
previously evaluated in professional dancers compared to team sport athletes, 8 , 9 however there is little information comparing a more diverse, recreational dance population and team sport athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine lower extremity kinematic differences between
Lower-Extremity Visuomotor Reaction Time Is Not Different Between Males and Females Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Francesca M. Genoese, Michelle C. Walaszek, Katherine Collins, Elaine Reiche, Ashley Triplett, Matthew S. Harkey, Christopher Kuenze, and Shelby E. Baez
secondary ACL injuries that inequitably impact physically active females. Although a variety of nonmodifiable (e.g., sex, age, prior ACLR) and modifiable (e.g., lower-extremity biomechanics, sport participation) ACL injury risk factors have been identified over the past three decades, 4 – 7 recent
The Immediate Effects of Instrumented-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization on Range of Motion, Strength, and Power in the Lower Extremity: A Critically Appraised Topic
Moni Syeda, Jason Bartholomew, Shayane Santiago, Jeff Peterson, Russell T. Baker, and Scott W. Cheatham
Clinical Scenario Physically active adults rely on normal myofascial mobility to maintain range of motion (ROM) and produce efficient lower extremity muscular performance (e.g., strength, power, torque). 1 – 3 High-intensity or long-duration exercise without proper tissue extensibility may result
Methods for Prediction of Core or Lower Extremity Injury Among High School Football Players as a Strategy for Longitudinal Reduction of Injury Risk
Marisa A. Colston, Gary B. Wilkerson, Hillary Dreyfus, and Ryan Ross
associated with core and lower extremity injury. Prevention of sports injuries is an often hyper-emphasized but under-utilized aspect of athletic medicine practice. Approximately 42% of injuries among high school football players affect the lower extremity, 1 compared to 54% among college players. 2 These
Neurocognitive Reaction Time Predicts Lower Extremity Sprains and Strains
Gary B. Wilkerson
Context:
Prevention of a lower extremity sprain or strain requires some basis for predicting that an individual athlete will sustain such an injury unless a modifiable risk factor is addressed.
Objective:
To assess the possible existence of an association between reaction time measured during completion of a computerized neurocognitive test battery and subsequent occurrence of a lower extremity sprain or strain.
Design:
Prospective cohort study.
Setting:
Preparticipation screening conducted in a computer laboratory on the day prior to initiation of preseason practice sessions.
Participants:
76 NCAA Division I-FCS football players.
Main Outcome Measures:
Lower extremity sprains and strains sustained between initiation of preseason practice sessions and the end of an 11-game season. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified the optimal reaction time cut-point for discrimination between injured versus noninjured status. Stratified analyses were performed to evaluate any differential influence of reaction time on injury incidence between starters and nonstarters.
Results:
A total of 29 lower extremity sprains and strains were sustained by 23 of the 76 players. A reaction time cut-point of ≥ .545 s provided good discrimination between injured and noninjured cases: 74% sensitivity, 51% specificity, relative risk = 2.17 (90% CI: 1.10, 4.30), and odds ratio = 2.94 (90% CI: 1.19, 7.25).
Conclusions:
Neurocognitive reaction time appears to be an indicator of elevated risk for lower extremity sprains and strains among college football players, which may be modifiable through performance of exercises designed to accelerate neurocognitive processing of visual input.
The Effects of Self-Myofascial Release on Flexibility of the Lower Extremity: A Critically Appraised Topic
Christine M. Feldbauer, Brittany A. Smith, and Bonnie Van Lunen
Clinical Question:
Does self-myofascial release improve lower extremity fexibility or range of motion in physically active individuals?
Clinical Bottom Line:
There is low-level evidence to support the use of self-my-ofascial release to increase range of motion and fexibility in the lower extremity.
College and Professional Women’s Basketball Players’ Lower Extremity Injuries: A Survey of Career Incidence
Abby I. Gordon, Lindsay J. DiStefano, Craig R. Denegar, Rosemary B. Ragle, and Jeremy R. Norman
Context:
Lower extremity injuries in women’s basketball players are generally presented as seasonal team incidence. Available data were reported by team athletic trainers to overseeing bodies yielding estimates of injury rates as a percentage of all injuries sustained. By summarizing career incidence of women’s basketball players’ injuries, a new perspective indicating potential risk of injury can be considered.
Objectives:
To summarize the career incidence of lower extremity injuries in intercollegiate and professional women’s basketball players, examine the effect of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on professional basketball players’ career longevity, and explore the relationship between ankle sprains and knee injuries in this population.
Design:
Survey.
Participants:
246 elite-level women’s basketball players.
Outcome Measures:
Career incidence of lower extremity injury, professional career length, relationship between history of ankle sprain and ACL injury frequency calculations, and chi-square statistics. Results: Seventy-four of 85 (87.06%) professional Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and 172/179 (96.09%) available collegiate Big East Conference (BEC) women’s basketball players completed the survey. Ankle sprains were the most frequently reported injury with 170/246 (69.11%) participants indicating at least one during their career. Patellar tendinopathy (28.46%), meniscal injury (22.76%), and ACL tear (21.54%) were also common. Professional career length in participants with an ACL reconstruction averaged 6.11 ± 3.20 seasons, more than the 5.70 ± 4.17 seasons reported by those without an ACL injury. Professional participants who did not report an ankle sprain were more likely to report an ACL tear (χ2 = 10.96; p = .000932).
Conclusion:
Summarizing career incidence provides a new perspective of women’s basketball players’ injuries. Ankle sprains and knee injuries were commonly reported, both more frequently than by traditional research methods. These data may assist in developing injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies for injured athletes.
Patellar Tendon Straps Decrease Pain and May Alter Lower Extremity Kinetics in Those With Patellar Tendinopathy During Jump Landing
Adam B. Rosen, Jupil Ko, Kathy J. Simpson, and Cathleen N. Brown
Patellar tendinopathy is often managed with a patellar tendon strap, however, their effectiveness is unsubstantiated. The purpose of this study was to determine if straps altered pain or lower extremity kinetics of individuals with patellar tendinopathy during landing. Thirty participants with patellar tendinopathy and 30 controls completed drop jumps with and without patellar tendon straps. Wearing the strap, tendinopathy participants demonstrated significantly decreased pain and reduced knee adductor moment; all participants displayed significantly decreased anterior ground reaction force while wearing a strap. Patellar tendon strapping may reduce pain due to alterations in direction and magnitude of loading.
Characterizing Lower Extremity Movement Scores Before and After Fatigue in Collegiate Athletes With Chronic Ankle Instability
Sajad Bagherian, Nader Rahnama, Erik A. Wikstrom, Micheal A. Clark, and Faroogh Rostami
movement assessments have become increasingly common in clinical practice as they are a quick clinician-oriented tool to identify injury risk factors to the lower extremity. 7 However, only the functional movement screen (FMS) has been used to quantify functional movement scores in CAI participants. 8 , 9
