Lower Limb Takeoff Mechanics During a Leap in Dancers With and Without Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendinopathy

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26
Author(s):  
Hai-Jung Steffi Shih ◽  
K Michael Rowley ◽  
Kornelia Kulig
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Torsional Stiffness ◽  
Knee Joints ◽  
Flexor Hallucis Longus ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Horizontal Distance ◽  
Ground Contact ◽  
Limb Posture

OBJECTIVE: Altered ground reaction force (GRF) and joint torsional stiffness are associated with various lower extremity injuries, but these have yet to be examined in dancers with flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendinopathy. Additionally, a simple, field-friendly kinematic correlate to ground contact kinetics would be useful for clinical application. The purpose of this study was to compare lower extremity biomechanics during takeoff of a dance leap (saut de chat) in dancers with and without FHL tendinopathy, and to examine lower limb posture at initial contact as a clinical correlate of injury-related kinetic factors. METHODS: Motion capture and inverse dynamics were used to analyze saut de chat takeoff performed by 11 uninjured dancers and 8 dancers with FHL tendinopathy. GRF parameters, joint torsional stiffness of the metatarsophalangeal, ankle, and knee joints, and lower extremity posture at initial contact were compared between groups using Welch’s t-tests. RESULTS: Dancers with FHL tendinopathy maintained similar jump height as the uninjured dancers, but exhibited lower peak vertical GRF, longer time to peak force, and less joint torsional stiffness at the metatarsophalangeal, ankle, and knee joints during loading response of the takeoff step. Lower extremity contact angle was smaller and the horizontal distance between center-of-mass and center-of-pressure was greater in dancers with FHL tendinopathy. These two measures of lower limb posture at initial contact were significantly correlated with kinetic factors occurring later in ground contact (R2=0.29-0.51). CONCLUSION: Dancers with FHL tendinopathy demonstrated altered lower extremity kinetics during takeoff of a leap compared to uninjured dancers, which may contribute to, or be a compensation response to, injury

scholarly journals BIOMECHANICAL SYMMETRY DURING DROP JUMP AND SINGLE-LEG HOP LANDING IN UNINJURED ADOLESCENT ATHLETES

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 2325967119S0002
Author(s):  
Nicole Mueske ◽  
Mia J. Katzel ◽  
Kyle P. Chadwick ◽  
Curtis VandenBerg ◽  
J. Lee Pace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Statistical Parametric Mapping ◽  
Return To Sport ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Drop Jump ◽  
Adolescent Athletes ◽  
Peak Knee ◽  
Dominant Side

BACKGROUND Symmetry of strength, thigh girth and hop distance is often used as a benchmark in return to sport testing. Using symmetry as a gold standard has been translated into biomechanical testing; however, kinematic and kinetic symmetry during dynamic tasks in adolescents without lower extremity injury is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to assess symmetry in uninjured adolescent athletes during double and single-leg landing tasks. METHODS 36 uninjured athletes (ages 7-15 years, mean 12.4, SD 2.4; 47% female) completed vertical drop jump (DJ) and single-leg hop (SLH) for distance tasks; lower extremity kinematics and kinetics were collected through 3-D motion analysis using a 6 degree-of-freedom model; 2-3 trials per participant per side were analyzed. Differences between dominant and non-dominant limbs from initial contact to peak knee flexion were examined using statistical parametric mapping (SPM), a methodology for performing statistics on time series data. The SPM method allows differences between dominant and non-dominant limbs to be evaluated for statistical significance at all time points throughout the landing movement. RESULTS During both DJ (Figure 1) and SLH (Figure 2), the dominant limb tended to be more internally rotated at the hip throughout landing, but the asymmetry was significant only for short periods early in landing during the DJ (p<0.05) and at mid-landing in the SLH (p=0.01). Additionally, the dominant hip tended to have less abducted positioning throughout both tasks, but differed significantly only shortly after initial contact in the SLH landing (p=0.04). The dominant limb ankle was less inverted (p<0.001) with a lower external inversion moment (p<0.001) during early to mid-landing in the DJ, and less everted (p=0.04) with higher external inversion moment (p=0.05) early in SLH landing. The only asymmetry observed in either task in the sagittal plane was slightly higher external ankle flexion moments (p=0.05) just after initial contact in the DJ. No asymmetries were detected in peak vertical ground reaction force or knee kinematics/kinetics for either task. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE Uninjured adolescent athletes exhibited only slight asymmetries during double and single-leg landing, primarily at the hip and ankle in the frontal and transverse planes. The hip may perform larger adjustments to accommodate center of mass location, while the ankle fine-tunes the landing as the closest segment to the ground. This study supports that normal biomechanics are symmetric during double and single-leg landing. Biomechanical symmetry is therefore a reasonable target in return to sport assessment. While only small regions of statistically significant asymmetry were identified, it is possible that greater asymmetries are present within individuals. In the grouped analysis, asymmetry towards the dominant side for one individual could offset asymmetry towards the non-dominant side of another individual. In future analysis, we will examine the magnitude and significance of within-subject asymmetry.

Association Between Initial Contact Lower Limb Posture And Peak Knee Valgus Moment During Sidestepping

2005 ◽  
Vol 37 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. S278
Author(s):  
Scott G. McLean ◽  
Xuemei Huang ◽  
Antonie J. van den Bogert
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Knee Valgus ◽  
Peak Knee ◽  
Limb Posture

Effects of Volitional Spine Stabilization and Lower-Extremity Fatigue on the Knee and Ankle During Landing Performance in a Population With Recurrent Low Back Pain

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 329-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ram Haddas ◽  
Steven F. Sawyer ◽  
Phillip S. Sizer ◽  
Toby Brooks ◽  
Ming-Chien Chyu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Back Pain ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Vastus Medialis ◽  
Semitendinosus Muscle ◽  
Main Outcome Measure ◽  
Spine Stabilization

Introduction:Recurrent lower back pain (rLBP) and neuromuscular fatigue are independently thought to increase the risk of lower extremity (LE) injury. Volitional preemptive abdominal contraction (VPAC) is thought to improve lumbar spine and pelvis control in individuals with rLBP. The effects of VPAC on fatigued landing performance in individuals with rLBP are unknown.Objectives:To determine the effects of VPAC and LE fatigue on landing performance in a rLBP population.Design:Cross-sectional pretest-posttest cohort control design.Setting:A clinical biomechanics laboratory.Subjects:32 rLBP (age 21.2 ± 2.7 y) but without current symptoms and 33 healthy (age 20.9 ± 2.3 y) subjects.Intervention(s):(i) Volitional preemptive abdominal contraction using abdominal bracing and (ii) fatigue using submaximal free-weight squat protocol with 15% body weight until task failure was achieved.Main Outcome Measure(s):Knee and ankle angles, moments, electromyographic measurements from semitendinosus and vastus medialis muscles, and ground reaction force (GRF) were collected during 0.30 m drop-jump landings.Results:The VPAC resulted in significantly earlier muscle onsets across all muscles with and without fatigue in both groups (mean ± SD, 0.063 ± 0.016 s earlier; P ≤ .001). Fatigue significantly delayed semitendinosus muscle onsets (0.033 ± 0.024 s later; P ≤ .001), decreased GRF (P ≤ .001), and altered landing kinematics in a variety of ways. The rLBP group exhibited delayed semitendinosus and vastus medialis muscle onsets (0.031 ± 0.028 s later; P ≤ .001) and 1.8° less knee flexion at initial contact (P ≤ .008).Conclusion:The VPAC decreases some of the detrimental effects of fatigue on landing biomechanics and thus may reduce LE injury risk in a rLBP population.

Association Between Initial Contact Lower Limb Posture And Peak Knee Valgus Moment During Sidestepping

2005 ◽  
Vol 37 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. S278
Author(s):  
Scott G. McLean ◽  
Xuemei Huang ◽  
Antonie J. van den Bogert
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Knee Valgus ◽  
Peak Knee ◽  
Limb Posture

scholarly journals Ground Reaction Force and Valgus Knee Loading during Landing after a Block in Female Volleyball Players

2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Zahradnik ◽  
Jaroslav Uchytil ◽  
Roman Farana ◽  
Daniel Jandacka
Keyword(s):  
Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Valgus Knee ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Volleyball Players ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
The Right

Abstract A non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is both a serious and very common problem in volleyball. The aim of the study was to determine the association between stick, step-back, and run-back landings after a block and select risk factors of ACL injuries for female professional volleyball players. The research sample involved fourteen female professional volleyball players. Two force plates were used to determine ground reaction forces. Eight infrared cameras were employed to collect the kinematic data. The one-factor repeated-measures analysis of variance, where the landing type was the factor, was used for comparing the valgus moment and ground reaction force on the right lower limb. ANOVA showed that the type of landing has a main effect on the valgus moment on the right lower limb (F) = 5.96, p = 0.019df = 1.18, partial ƞ2 = 0.239 and SP = 0.693). Furthermore, it did not show a main effect on the vertical reaction force on the right lower limb ((F)=2.77, p=0.090, df=1.55, partial ƞ2= 0.128 and SP=0.448). The highest valgus moment occurred during the run-back landing. This moment, however, did not have any effect within the first 100 ms after initial contact with the ground, but rather upon the subsequent motion carried out when stepping back off the net. A comparison between a run-back landing and a step-back landing showed relevant higher values of vertical ground reaction forces during the run-back landing.

Does Wearing a Prophylactic Ankle Brace During Drop Landings Affect Lower Extremity Kinematics and Ground Reaction Forces?

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy J. Simpson ◽  
Jae P. Yom ◽  
Yang-Chieh Fu ◽  
Scott W. Arnett ◽  
Sean O’Rourke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knee Joint ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Ground Reaction Force ◽  
External Rotation ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Knee Joints ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Ankle Brace ◽  
Reaction Forces ◽  
Drop Landings

The objective of the study was to determine if prophylactic ankle bracing worn by females during landings produces abnormal lower extremity mechanics. Angular kinematic and ground reaction force (GRF) data were obtained for 16 athletically experienced females who performed brace and no-brace drop landings. The brace condition displayed reduced in/external rotation and flexion displacements about the ankle and knee joints and increased vertical and mediolateral GRF peak magnitudes and rate of vertical GRF application (pairedttest,P< .05). The ankle and knee joints landed in a less plantar flexed and more flexed position, respectively. No significant ab/adduction outcomes may have occurred due to interparticipant variability and/or a lack of brace restriction. Conclusion: During typical landings, this lace-up brace increases vertical GRF, decreases ankle and knee joint displacements of flexion and int/external rotation, but minimally affects ab/adduction displacements.

Application of a biomechanical model and combinatorial optimization to determine lower limb joints torsional stiffness in human landing

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-255
Author(s):  
Mehran Hatamzadeh ◽  
Reza Hassannejad ◽  
Ali Sharifnezhad
Keyword(s):  
Simulated Annealing ◽  
Combinatorial Optimization ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Simulated Annealing Algorithm ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Biomechanical Model ◽  
Torsional Stiffness ◽  
Computation Method ◽  
Good Ability

Lower limb joint’s torsional stiffness is directly related to the individual’s performance and probability of injury when landing. There are various methods of calculating ankle, knee, and hip joint’s torsional stiffness in which the reliability of the achieved values by them are highly controversial. The purpose of this research is to provide a new method of calculating lower limb joint’s active torsional stiffness based on the body’s four-degrees-of-freedom biomechanical model. For this purpose, a group of subjects performs single-leg landing protocol from the box. In this method, the biomechanical model’s equations of motion are derived in the sagittal plane and are combined with a combinatorial optimization algorithm, which consists of genetic and simulated annealing. By the use of acquired data from the force plate and motion analysis system, combinatorial genetic algorithm–simulated annealing algorithm tries to minimize the differences between the model’s ground reaction force (GRFModel) and the GRFExperimental for each subject and thereby the joint’s torsional stiffness values are obtained. Results show that calculating lower limb joint’s torsional stiffness using the proposed method has good ability in simulating the GRFExperimental in the model. Also, the obtained values by the proposed method have moderate to good reliability and desirable variability in the measurements. Comparing the obtained stiffness values with the values of three conventional computation method in the literature shows that those common methods’ results have high computational errors, low reliability, and high variability in the measurement. Also, their ability to produce GRFModel similar to the GRFExperimental is weaker than the proposed method in single-leg landing protocol.

Effects of Gender and Foot-Landing Techniques on Lower Extremity Kinematics during Drop-Jump Landings

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson Cortes ◽  
James Onate ◽  
João Abrantes ◽  
Linda Gagen ◽  
Elizabeth Dowling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Knee Flexion ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
The Self ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Knee Valgus ◽  
Vertical Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Vertical Ground ◽  
Hip Flexion

The purpose of this study was to assess kinematic lower extremity motion patterns (hip flexion, knee flexion, knee valgus, and ankle dorsiflexion) during various foot-landing techniques (self-preferred, forefoot, and rear foot) between genders. 3-D kinematics were collected on 50 (25 male and 25 female) college-age recreational athletes selected from a sample of convenience. Separate repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to analyze each variable at three time instants (initial contact, peak vertical ground reaction force, and maximum knee flexion angle). There were no significant differences found between genders at the three instants for each variable. At initial contact, the forefoot technique (35.79° ± 11.78°) resulted in significantly (p= .001) less hip flexion than did the self-preferred (41.25° ± 12.89°) and rear foot (43.15° ± 11.77°) techniques. At peak vertical ground reaction force, the rear foot technique (26.77° ± 9.49°) presented significantly lower (p= .001) knee flexion angles as compared with forefoot (58.77° ± 20.00°) and self-preferred (54.21° ± 23.78°) techniques. A significant difference for knee valgus angles (p= .001) was also found between landing techniques at peak vertical ground reaction force. The self-preferred (4.12° ± 7.51°) and forefoot (4.97° ± 7.90°) techniques presented greater knee varus angles as compared with the rear foot technique (0.08° ± 6.52°). The rear foot technique created more ankle dorsiflexion and less knee flexion than did the other techniques. The lack of gender differences can mean that lower extremity injuries (e.g., ACL tears) may not be related solely to gender but may instead be associated with the landing technique used and, consequently, the way each individual absorbs jump-landing energy.

scholarly journals An Investigation of Differences in Lower Extremity Biomechanics During Single-Leg Landing From Height Using Bionic Shoes and Normal Shoes

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Datao Xu ◽  
Huiyu Zhou ◽  
Julien S. Baker ◽  
Bíró István ◽  
Yaodong Gu
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
Flexion Angle ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Lower Limb Injury ◽  
Total Energy Dissipation

Bionic shoes utilizing an actual foot shape sole structure can alter lower limb’s biomechanics, which may help in the development of specific training or rehabilitation programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biomechanical differences in the lower limb during a single-leg landing task using bionic shoes (BS) and normal shoes (NS). Fifteen healthy male subjects participated in this study, sagittal, and frontal plane data were collected during the landing phase (drop landing from 35 cm platform). Our study showed that BS depicted a significantly greater minimum knee flexion angle at initial contact (p = 0.000), a significantly greater minimum (initial contact) hip flexion angle at initial contact (p = 0.009), a significantly smaller sagittal plane total energy dissipation (p = 0.028), a significantly smaller frontal plane total energy dissipation (p = 0.008), a significantly smaller lower limb total energy dissipation (p = 0.017) than NS during the landing phase. SPM analysis revealed that BS depicted a significantly smaller knee joint vertical reaction force during the 13.8–19.8% landing phase (p = 0.01), a significantly smaller anterior tibia shear force during the 14.2–17.5% landing phase (p = 0.024) than NS. BS appears to change lower limb kinematics at initial contact and then readjust the landing strategies for joint work and joint reaction force, thereby reducing the risk of lower limb skeletal muscle injury. BS have great potential for future development and application uses, which may help athletes to reduce lower limb injury risk.

scholarly journals Lower Extremity Fatigue, Sex, and Landing Performance in a Population With Recurrent Low Back Pain

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ram Haddas ◽  
C. Roger James ◽  
Troy L. Hooper
Keyword(s):  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Knee Flexion ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Lower Extremity Injuries ◽  
Extremity Injuries

Context Low back pain and lower extremity injuries affect athletes of all ages. Previous authors have linked a history of low back pain with lower extremity injuries. Fatigue is a risk factor for lower extremity injuries, some of which are known to affect female athletes more often than their male counterparts. Objective To determine the effects of lower extremity fatigue and sex on knee mechanics, neuromuscular control, and ground reaction force during landing in people with recurrent low back pain (LBP). Design Cross-sectional study. Setting A clinical biomechanics laboratory. Patients or Other Participants Thirty-three young adults with recurrent LBP but without current symptoms. Intervention(s) Fatigue was induced using a submaximal free-weight squat protocol with 15% body weight until task failure was achieved. Main Outcome Measure(s) Three-dimensional knee motion, knee and ankle moments, ground reaction force, and trunk and lower extremity muscle-activity measurements were collected during 0.30-m drop vertical-jump landings. Results Fatigue altered landing mechanics, with differences in landing performance between sexes. Women tended to have greater knee-flexion angle at initial contact, greater maximum knee internal-rotation angle, greater maximum knee-flexion moment, smaller knee-adduction moment, smaller ankle-inversion moment, smaller ground reaction force impact, and earlier multifidus activation. In men and women, fatigue produced a smaller knee-abduction angle at initial contact, greater maximum knee-flexion moment, and delays in semitendinosus, multifidus, gluteus maximus, and rectus femoris activation. Conclusions Our results provide evidence that during a fatigued 0.30-m landing sequence, women who suffered from recurrent LBP landed differently than did men with recurrent LBP, which may increase women's exposure to biomechanical factors that can contribute to lower extremity injury.

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