Neuromuscular Changes in Drop Jumps on Different Common Material Surfaces with Incremental Drop Heights

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare changes in muscle pre-activation and short-latency responses in the lower limbs during drop jumps performed on different common soft and hard surfaces and at various platform heights. The study aimed to collect electromyography data from the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, and soleus of the dominant leg during drop jumps on sand, turf, polyurethane, and wood surfaces from platform heights of 30, 40, 50, and 60 cm. Muscle pre-activation refers to muscle activity 100 ms before ground contact during a drop jump, while short-latency responses refer to muscle activation occurring 30–60 ms after ground contact. These definitions were used to measure and analyze neuromuscular responses in the lower limb muscles during drop jumps using various surfaces and platform heights. Sand as a ground material and platform heights of 50 and 60 cm significantly enhanced pre-activation and activation in short-latency responses of the lower limb muscles (all p < 0.01). The difficulty of the drop jump task can enhance pre-activation and activation in the latency responses of lower limb muscles. It is recommended that athletes perform drop jumps on sandy surfaces or from platforms higher than 50 cm to induce muscle pre-activation of the lower limbs and to improve muscle activation levels in the latency responses after landing.

The Relationship between Ankle Joint Kinematics and Impact Forces during Unilateral Jump-Landing Tasks in University-Level Netball Players: A Pilot Study

“…Examining the ankle ROM across different jump landing directions in multiple planes, along with the GRF and TTS, could reveal novel insights into landing mechanics, which could inform future training customs for netball. The latter is especially true on the basis that novel assessments (e.g., multiplanar landing) provide a unique challenge to the neuromuscular system that may be revealed through differences in landing forces, the ability to absorb such forces, and the capacity to rapidly stabilise [21].…”