Although exercise-related knee laxity changes were more pronounced in females, there was a subset of both males and females who experienced substantial knee laxity increases during exercise. Whether these individuals are more susceptible to higher-risk lower extremity biomechanics and injury risk later in a game or practice is currently under investigation.

To better understand methodological factors that alter landings strategies, we compared sagittal plane joint energetics during the initial landing phase of drop jumps (DJ) vs. drop landings (DL), and when shod vs. barefoot. Surface electromyography, kinematic and kinetic data were obtained on 10 males and 10 females during five consecutive drop landings and five consecutive drop jumps (0.45m) when shod and when barefoot. Energy absorption was greater in the DJ vs. DL (P=.002), due to increased energy absorption at the hip during the DJ. Joint stiffness/impedance was more affected by shoe condition, where overall stiffness/impedance was greater in shod compared to barefoot conditions (P=.036). Further, hip impedance was greater in shod vs. barefoot for the DL only (via increased peak hip extensor moment in DL), while ankle stiffness was greater in the barefoot vs. shod condition for the DJ only (via decreased joint excursion and increased peak joint moment in DJ vs. DL) (P=.011). DJ and DL place different neuromechanical demands upon the lower extremities, and shoe wear may alter impact forces that modulate stiffness/impedance strategies. The impact of these methodological differences should be considered when comparing landing biomechanics across studies.

Both exercise-related changes in fatigue and knee laxity were associated with higher-risk landing biomechanics during prolonged exercise. These relationships were more pronounced in participants with greater initial knee laxity.

Background:As injury rates rise in the later stages of sporting activities, a better understanding of lower extremity biomechanics in the later phases of gamelike situations may improve training and injury prevention programs.Hypothesis:Lower extremity biomechanics of a drop-jump task (extracted from a principal components analysis) would reveal factors associated with risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury during a 90-minute individualized intermittent exercise protocol (IEP) and for 1 hour following the IEP.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Level of Evidence:Level 4.Methods:Fifty-nine athletes (29 women, 30 men) completed 3 sessions. The first session assessed fitness for an IEP designed to simulate the demands of a soccer match. An experimental session assessed drop-jump biomechanics, after a dynamic warm-up, every 15 minutes during the 90-minute IEP, and for 1 hour following the IEP. A control session with no exercise assessed drop-jump performance at the same intervals.Results:Two biomechanical factors early in the first half (hip flexion at initial contact and hip loading; ankle loading and knee shear force) decreased at the end of the IEP and into the 60-minute recovery period, while a third factor (knee loading) decreased only during the recovery period (P ≤ 0.05).Conclusion:The individualized sport-specific IEP may have more subtle effects on landing biomechanics when compared with short-term, exhaustive fatigue protocols.Clinical Relevance:Potentially injurious landing biomechanics may not occur until the later stages of soccer activity.