Search Results

It has been suggested that noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury commonly occurs during sports requiring acute deceleration or landing motion and that female athletes are more likely to sustain the injury than male athletes. The purpose of this study was to make task-to-task and male-female comparisons of knee kinematics and kinetics in several athletic activities. Three-dimensional knee kinematics and kinetics were investigated in 20 recreational athletes (10 males, 10 females) while performing hopping, cutting, turning, and sidestep and running (sharp deceleration associated with a change of direction). Knee kinematics and kinetics were compared among the four athletic tasks and between sexes. Subjects exhibited significantly lower peak flexion angle and higher peak extension moment in hopping compared with other activities (P < .05). In the frontal plane, peak abduction angle and peak adduction moment in cutting, turning, and sidestep and running were significantly greater compared with hopping (P < .05). No differences in knee kinematics and kinetics were apparent between male and female subjects. Recreational athletes exhibited different knee kinematics and kinetics in the four athletic motions, particularly in the sagittal and frontal planes. Male and female subjects demonstrated similar knee motions during the four athletic activities.

Context: Biofeedback training enables an athlete to alter biomechanical and physiological function by receiving biomechanical and physiological data concurrent with or immediately after a task. Objective: To compare the effects of 2 different modes of real-time biofeedback focused on reducing risk factors related to anterior cruciate ligament injury. Design: Randomized crossover study design. Setting: Biomechanics laboratory and sports medicine center. Participants: Female high school soccer players (age 14.8 ± 1.0 y, height 162.6 ± 6.8 cm, mass 55.9 ± 7.0 kg; n = 4). Intervention: A battery of kinetic- or kinematic-based real-time biofeedback during repetitive double-leg squats. Main Outcome Measures: Baseline and posttraining drop vertical jumps were collected to determine if either feedback method improved high injury risk landing mechanics. Results: Maximum knee abduction moment and angle during the landing was significantly decreased after kinetic-focused biofeedback (P = .04). The reduced knee abduction moment during the drop vertical jumps after kinematic-focused biofeedback was not different (P = .2). Maximum knee abduction angle was significantly decreased after kinetic biofeedback (P < .01) but only showed a trend toward reduction after kinematic biofeedback (P = .08). Conclusions: The innovative biofeedback employed in the current study reduced knee abduction load and posture from baseline to posttraining during a drop vertical jump.