Control of dynamic foot-ground interactions in male and female soccer athletes: Females exhibit reduced dexterity and higher limb stiffness during landing

Abstract

Controlling dynamic interactions between the lower limb and ground is important for skilled locomotion and may influence injury risk in athletes. It is well known that female athletes sustain anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears at higher rates than male athletes, and exhibit lower extremity biomechanics thought to increase injury risk during sport maneuvers. The purpose of this study was to examine whether lower extremity dexterity (LED) – the ability to dynamically control endpoint force magnitude and direction as quantified by compressing an unstable spring with the lower limb at submaximal forces – is a potential contributing factor to the “at-risk” movement behavior exhibited by female athletes. We tested this hypothesis by comparing LED-test performance and single-limb drop jump biomechanics between 14 female and 14 male high school soccer players. We found that female athletes exhibited reduced LED-test performance (p=0.001) and higher limb stiffness during landing (p=0.008) calculated on average within 51 ms of foot contact. Females also exhibited higher coactivation at the ankle (p=0.001) and knee (p=0.02) before landing. No sex differences in sagittal plane joint angles and center of mass velocity at foot contact were observed. Collectively, our results raise the possibility that the higher leg stiffness observed in females during landing is an anticipatory behavior due in part to reduced lower extremity dexterity. The reduced lower extremity dexterity and compensatory stiffening strategy may contribute to the heightened risk of ACL injury in this population.

Neuromechanical synergies in single-leg landing reveal changes in movement control

“…This movement strategy has been observed previously (Devita & Skelly, 1992;Dufek & Bates, 1990;Dufek & Zhang, 1996), decreasing effective landing height and accommodating loads under greater mechanical task demands (Caster & Bates, 1995). The ankle joint appeared to absorb energy prior to the hip and knee joints, with subjects using greater medial gastrocnemius muscle activation in early landing (Iida, Kanehisa, Inaba, & Nakazawa, 2011;Lyle, Valero-Cuevas, Gregor, & Powers, 2014;Santello & McDonagh, 1998). Greater knee extensor moments, however, were observed in early landing with greater load and landing height, while vastus medialis activation decreased with greater load (increasing at greater height), potentially placing the commonly injured knee joint at greater risk of injury (de Britto et al, 2014;Dufek & Bates, 1992).…”

“…2-4), appeared to reveal strategies that may be used in protecting knee joint structures, including the ACL. Energy absorption and load redistribution toward the hip and ankle joints has been previously documented using discrete-point analyses (Iida et al, 2011;Lyle et al, 2014;Powers, 2010;Santello & McDonagh, 1998;Zhang et al, 2000), but were simultaneously and comprehensively quantified in our study using PCA. Additionally, covariation among hip and knee angles and moments, alongside knee extensor and ankle plantarflexor muscle coactivations within early, mid, and late landing subphases, at greater load and landing height (Figs.…”

Test-retest reliability of knee kinematics measurement during gait with 3D motion analysis system

“…Participants were required to wear short tight and were barefooted throughout the gait assessment. First, thirty-two reflective markers using a modified Helen Hayes's markers set [18], were positioned over specified anatomical locations: i. Any recorded kinematic measures were referenced back to this position.…”

“…In this static trial, each participant was instructed to stand on the force platform in their comfortable position with both feet at shoulder-width apart and without locking the knees. Then, following the static standing trial, eight anatomical markers were removed and the remaining 24 markers were used in the walking analysis [18]. Standardised protocol and verbal instruction was used through the measurement procedures; participants were instructed to walk bare-footed along the walking platform at a comfortable walking speed.…”

Effects of Combined Exercise on Injury Risk Factors of Lower Extremity during Landing

“…그 크 기가 과하면 손상과 연결되어 위험한 변인으로 작용하지 만 적정 수준의 강성은 최상의 수행능력에 영향을 미친다 고 보고되었다 (Butler et al, 2003). 하지의 민첩성 감소와 강성의 증가로 인한 보상 전략의 감쇠는 무릎손상의 높은 위험 요인이라고 하였고 (Lyle, Valero-Cuevas, Gregor, & Powers, 2014), 수직강성을 산출하는 요소인 최대수직지면 반력 값이 클수록 하지손상 발생과 관련이 깊다고 보고되 었다 (Seegmiller & McCaw, 2003 (Lephart, Ferris, Riemann, Myers, & Fu, 2002;Yeow et al, 2010). 올바른 착지를 하기 위해서는 적절한 근동원이 필수적 이다.…”