Knee joint coordination during single-leg landing in different directions

Abstract

Knee joint coordination during jump landing in different directions is an important consideration for injury prevention. The aim of the current study was to investigate knee and hip kinematics on the non-dominant and dominant limbs during landing. Nineteen female volleyball athletes performed single-leg jump landing tests in four directions; forward (0°), diagonal (30° and 60°), and lateral (90°) directions. Kinematic and ground reaction force (GRF) data were collected using a 10-camera Vicon system and an AMTI force plate. Knee and hip joint angles, and knee angular velocities were calculated using a lower extremity model in Visual3D. A two factor repeated measures ANOVA was performed to explore limb dominance and jump direction. Significant differences were seen between the jump directions for; angular velocity at initial contact (p < 0.001), angular velocity at peak VGRF (p < 0.001), and knee flexion excursion (p = 0.016). Knee coordination was observed to be poorer in the early phase of velocity-angle plot during landing in lateral direction compared to forward and diagonal directions. The non-dominant limb seemed to have better coordination than the dominant limb during multi-direction jump landing. Therefore, dominant limbs appear to be at a higher injury risk than non-dominant limbs.

Altered trunk and lower extremity movement coordination after neuromuscular training with and without external focus instruction: a randomized controlled trial

“…Coordination may be described as the ability to reduce joint loading during movement through improved dynamic stability during landing tasks [ 21 , 37 ]. Therefore, any increases in knee stability during landing may be the result of improved coordination, and any deviation from the normal coordination may provide evidence of dynamic stability impairment [ 21 , 37 ]. During landing, hip and knee coordination generally determines dynamic stability of the leg.…”

“…Coordination of trunk, pelvis, thigh, and shank segments has been investigated during functional tasks, including vertical jump, countermovement jump [ 14 ], drop vertical jump (DVJ) [ 15 , 16 ], anticipated and unanticipated sidestepping [ 17 ], single-leg landing [ 18 ], walking and running [ 19 ] and cutting [ 20 ]. As many injuries occur during landing, coordination during jump landing is an important consideration for injury prevention [ 21 ].…”

The effect of match fatigue in elite badminton players using plantar pressure measurements and the implications to injury mechanisms

“…However, lower limb dominance seems to be more related to specific movement tasks which require different side to side movements (Peters, 1988), such as one side being used for more postural stabilization (Velotta, Weyer, Ramirez, & Winstead, 2011). This was highlighted by Sinsurin, Vachalathiti, Srisangboriboon & Richards (2018) who found better coordination during multi-direction jump landings on the non-dominant limb. The literature also suggests differences in the injury incidence between the dominant and nondominant limbs for many sports, which has been attributed to side to side differences in loading as a result of differences in movement strategies between the sides (Vauhnik et al, 2008).…”

Can kinematic and kinetic differences between planned and unplanned volleyball block jump-landings be associated with injury risk factors?

“…Previous studies have identified limb dominance [24,25] and lateral directional movements [26,27] as important factors when considering knee injury risks. Side to side differences in the movement of the lower extremities has been considered an injury risk, although asymmetries occur in healthy individuals as well [28].…”