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Selected Publication:
Kempf, A.
Gender-specific differences in landing techniques of children and adolescents performing a drop-jump
Humanmedizin; [ Diplomarbeit ] Graz Medical University; 2021. pp. 82
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- Authors Med Uni Graz:
- Advisor:
- Sperl Matthias
- Svehlik Martin
- Altmetrics:
- Abstract:
- Introduction: The ACL is the most injured ligament in the knee joint. Usually those, ruptures happen during non-contact sports. In high-risk sports, female athletes show greater risks for ruptures in comparison to their male counterparts. The typically performed maneuver for non-contact ACL injuries consists of an abrupt deceleration and a very fast change of direction. It seems to be more likely for female athletes to show dynamic knee valgus than for men. Therefore, this study aims to compare the kinematics of male and female young athletes during landing after a bilateral drop-jump, recorded via 16 cameras, as a representative for a realistic injury mechanism, since videos are the best way to understand the biomechanics of ACL ruptures according to the literature. Materials and Methods: A total of 24 (12 male and 12 female) recreational athletes between the age of ten and eighteen volunteered for this study. Those must not have any history of knee injury or pain within the last six months. The trial consisted of clinical knee stability, strength testing, unilateral and bilateral drop-jumps, triple hops, cross hops and single hops, Y-Balancing and tappings. Results: When evaluating the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) Score, no significant gender differences in the performance of boys and girls have been discovered. However, females and males did show significant differences when performing single and triple hops and the abductor muscle forces, where boys emerged off better. Furthermore, the 3D kinematic analysis yielded significant results: females had increased hip flexion and internal rotation angles at initial contact and at max, whereas boys showed greater ankle internal rotation at initial contact. Discussion: No gender-specific difference in the LESS Score after drop-jumps have been found, nevertheless, boys did show great abductor forces, which is known to be a valgus protective factor, whereas girls showed greater hip flexion angles, a parameter for a proper landing technique. These findings are contrary to the literature of the landing technique of adults and could be caused by the missing pubertal changes. Further in-depth investigation of ACL injury risk factors in children and adolescent is necessary to improve and enhance prevention programs to decrease injury rates.