Gender differences in knee kinematics during landing from volleyball block jumps (original) (raw)
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Gender differences in lower limb frontal plane kinematics during landing
The study aimed to investigate gender differences in knee valgus angle and inter-25 knee and inter-ankle distances in university volleyball players when performing 26 opposed block jump landings. Six female and six male university volleyball players 27 performed three dynamic trials each where subjects were instructed to jump up and 28 block a volleyball suspended above a net set at the height of a standard volleyball 29 net as it was spiked against them by an opposing player. Knee valgus/varus, inter-30 knee distance and inter-ankle distance (absolute and relative to height) were 31 determined during landing using 3D motion analysis. Females displayed significantly 32 greater maximum valgus angle and range of motion than males. This may increase 33 the risk of ligament strain in females compared with males. Minimum absolute inter-34 knee distance was significantly smaller in females and absolute and relative inter-35 knee displacement during landing was significantly greater in females compared with 36 males. Both absolute and relative inter-ankle displacement during landing was 37 significantly greater in males than females. These findings suggest that the gender 38 difference in the valgus angle of the knee during two-footed landing is influenced by 39 gender differences in the linear movement of the ankles as well as the knees. 40 Coaches should therefore develop training programmes to focus on movement of 41 both the knee and ankle joints in the frontal plane in order to reduce the knee valgus 42 angle during landing which in turn may reduce the risk of non-contact ACL injury.
Purpose: To determine gender differences in lower-extremity joint kinematics and kinetics between age-and skill-matched recreational athletes. Methods: Inverse dynamic solutions estimated the lower-extremity flexion-extension and varus-valgus kinematics and kinetics for 15 females and 15 males performing a 60-cm drop landing. A mixed model, repeated measures analysis of variance (gender * joint) was performed on select kinematic and kinetic variables. Results: Peak hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion angles were greater in females in the sagittal plane (group effect, P Ͻ 0.02). Females exhibited greater frontal plane motion (group * joint, P ϭ 0.02). Differences were attributed to greater peak knee valgus and peak ankle pronation angles (post hoc tests, P ϭ 0.00). Females exhibited a greater range of motion (ROM) in the sagittal plane (group main effect, P ϭ 0.02) and the frontal plane (group * joint, P ϭ 0.01). Differences were attributed to the greater knee varus-valgus ROM, ankle dorsiflexion, and pronation ROM (post hoc tests). Ground reaction forces were different between groups (group * direction, P ϭ 0.05). Females exhibited greater peak vertical and posterior (A/P) force than males (post hoc tests). Females exhibited different knee moment profiles (Group main effect, P ϭ 0.01). These differences were attributed to a reduced varus moment in females (post hoc tests). Conclusion: The majority of the differences in kinematic and kinetic variables between male and female recreational athletes during landing were observed in the frontal plane not in the sagittal plane. Specifically, females generated a smaller internal knee varus moment at the time of peak valgus knee angulation.
The purpose of the present study was to compare the variability of movement and force production in males and females during a diagonal reaction task. Male (n=8) and female (n=8) subjects performed an unanticipated diagonal side cut task eight times with a 90s rest interval between trials. Variability of dominant limb knee angle and ground reaction forces were calculated for each subject over the eight trials. No significant differences were reported between genders for variability in any of the four parameters. This indicates that the variability of sagittal plane knee movement and ground reaction force patterns is not to be related to the increased incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury in females.
Australian International Academic Centre , 2019
Background: Dynamic knee valgum is a major risk factor in ligamentous injuries of the knee. Different sports have higher rates of knee ligament injury than others and females experience knee non-contact ligament injuries at higher rates than their male counterparts. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the lower extremity biomechanics of genu valgum in female collegiate athletes of various sports while performing a drop jump test. This information may provide those designing individualized prevention programs assistance in reducing risk of knee ligamentous injury during jumping tasks. Methods: Current members of Idaho State University's women's basketball, soccer, and softball teams were evaluated for this study. Thirty-seven athletes participated. Motion capture reflective markers were placed bilaterally on the lower extremities to allow for analysis of knee biomechanics during a double-leg drop jump test. The angles of knee valgum in the frontal plane were calculated and analyzed between sport groups. Results: Female athletes of different sports displayed statistically significant differences in knee angles for both right, and left knees. Post hoc analysis with a Bonferroni adjustment revealed that basketball players utilized a more valgus right knee angle compared to both soccer and softball players and a more varus left knee angle compared with softball players. Conclusions: Our study suggests that collegiate-level female basketball players have an increased risk of right leg non-contact knee ligament injury during jump landing maneuvers when compared to collegiate level softball and soccer players due to increased knee valgus movements during the drop jump test. Collegiate-level female basketball players may benefit from biomechanical exercise interventions designed to decrease right knee valgus moments in jumping and landing to decrease their risk of injury.
American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2003
Background: Female athletes are more likely than male athletes to injure the anterior cruciate ligament. Causes of this increased injury incidence in female athletes remain unclear, despite numerous investigations. Hypothesis: Female athletes will exhibit lower hamstring muscle activation and smaller knee flexion angles than male athletes during jump landings, especially when the knee muscles are fatigued. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Eight female and six male varsity college basketball athletes with no history of knee ligament injury performed jump landings on the dominant leg from a maximum height jump and from 25.4 cm and 50.8 cm high platforms under nonfatigued and fatigued conditions. Knee joint angle and surface electromyographic signals from the quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles were recorded. Results: Women landed with greater knee flexion angles and greater knee flexion accelerations than men. Knee muscle activation patterns were generally similar in men and women. Conclusion: As compared with male college basketball players, female college basketball players did not exhibit altered knee muscle coordination characteristics that would predispose them to anterior cruciate ligament injury when landing from jumps. This conclusion is made within the parameters of this study and based on the observation that hamstring muscle activation was similar for both groups. The greater knee flexion we observed in the female subjects would be expected to decrease their risk of injury. Clinical Relevance: Factors other than those evaluated in this study need to be considered when attempting to determine the reasons underlying the increased incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries consistently observed in elite female athletes.
Journal of Human Kinetics, 2013
There is a lack of studies investigating gender differences in whole-body kinematics during single-leg landings from increasing vertical heights and horizontal distances. This study determined the main effects and interactions of gender, vertical height, and horizontal distance on whole-body joint kinematics during single-leg landings, and established whether these findings could explain the gender disparity in non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rate. Recreationally active males (n=6) and females (n=6) performed single-leg landings from a takeoff deck of vertical height of 20, 40, and 60 cm placed at a horizontal distance of 30, 50 and 70 cm from the edge of a force platform, while 3D kinematics and kinetics were simultaneously measured. It was determined that peak vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) and the ankle flexion angle exhibited significant gender differences (p=0.028, partial η2=0.40 and p=0.035, partial η2=0.37, respectively). Peak VGRF was significantl...
Gender Differences in Strength and Lower Extremity Kinematics During Landing
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 2002
This study evaluated kinematic, vertical ground reaction forces, and strength variables in healthy collegiate female basketball, volleyball, and soccer players compared with matched male subjects. Thirty athletes did single-leg landing and forward hop tasks. An electromagnetic tracking device synchronized with a force plate provided kinematic data and vertical ground reaction force data, respectively. Maximum angular displacement and time to maximum angular displacement kinematic variables were calculated for hip flexion, abduction, rotation, knee flexion, and lower leg rotation. Vertical ground reaction force data normalized to body mass provided impulse, maximum force, time to maximum force, and stabilization time variables. An isokinetic device measured quadriceps and hamstring peak torque to body mass at 60؇/second. With both tasks, females had significantly less knee flexion and lower leg internal rotation maximum angu-
Lower limb coordination and stiffness during landing from volleyball block jumps
The aim of the study was to investigate lower limb coordination and stiffness in five male and five female university volleyball players performing block jump landings. Coordination was assessed using angle -angle plots of the hip -knee, knee -ankle and hip -ankle joint couplings and discrete relative phase (DRP) of right -left joint couplings (i.e. left knee coupled with right knee). Leg stiffness was calculated as the ratio of the change in vertical ground reaction force (GRF) to the change in vertical displacement of the centre of gravity between ground contact and maximum vertical GRF. Knee stiffness was calculated as the ratio of the change in knee joint moment to the change in knee flexion angular displacement between ground contact and maximum knee joint moment. Comparison of the DRP angles between left and right legs indicated reduced symmetry between the left and right legs in females compared to males which may indicate greater likelihood of ligament strain in females compared to males. Furthermore, females exhibited reduced stability in the coordination between the left and right knee joints than males. Males exhibited significantly greater absolute and normalised leg stiffness and significantly greater absolute and normalised knee joint stiffness during landing compared to females. In conjunction with the coordination data, this may indicate reduced dynamic stability of the leg in females compared to males which may contribute to the greater incidence of ACL injury in females compared to males.