3-Dimensional Versus 2-Dimensional Comparison of Knee Valgus Collapse during Vertical Jump: Clinical Implications for ACL Risk of Injury Assessment

Abstract

Time-effi cient screening of lower extremity biomechanics to identify potential injurious movement patterns is crucial within athletic medicine settings. When considering biomechanical risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injuries, several screening tests have been used to assess dynamic knee valgus. Current methods involving 3-dimensional motion capture systems are considered gold standard for such assessment; however, these methods are time consuming and require expensive materials. This study investigated the use of 2-dimentional kinematic evaluation during a standardized vertical jump athletic assessment to screen for potential lower extremity risk of injury. 50 collegiate athletes, 25 male and 25 female, from various sports participated in the study. The vertical jump was chosen because it is a common performance evaluation test that is regularly performed several times a year, providing consistent opportunities for screening while not creating additional obligations for the student athletes. Results showed that the 2-dimentional evaluation method had strong correlations (P<0.0001) with the gold standard 3-dimensional evaluation, suggesting that an accelerated 2-dimentional screening process can be used as a fi rst step to screen for potential injurious lower extremity movement patterns.

Relationship Between 2-Dimensional Frontal Plane Measures and the Knee Abduction Angle During the Drop Vertical Jump

“…By advancing the understanding of how frontal plane measures generated by 3-dimensional motion capture systems correlate to the KAA, investigators may identify the selection of more promising frontal plane surrogates for future investigations. This notion is supported by Cesar et al, 10 who concluded that investigation using 3-dimensional motion analysis to generate correlations of 2-dimensional frontal measures is a first step to screen for aberrant movement patterns. Moreover, advances in depth camera sensors appear promising to address the space, cost, and technical limitations of traditional gait laboratories.…”

Landing mechanics of basketball and volleyball athletes: a kinematic approach

“…Although literature shows the importance of investigating knee biomechanics during athletic landing tasks for injury prevention [15,16], establishing the mechanism of injury is a step required prior to elaborating a prevention program [17]. Few are the studies contrasting knee biomechanics of the athletic population mentioned above.…”

“…Nevertheless, previous research has not investigated the comparison of landing techniques in different sports, such as basketball and volleyball. Additionally, although the 2-dimensional approach can provide enough information regarding an initial screening for injurious movement patterns [16], a more robust (i.e., 3-dimensional) analysis is warranted for a comprehensive analysis of biomechanical demands around the knee joint between sports.…”