Alignment control exercise changes lower extremity movement during stop movements in female basketball players

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Kinesiology

Background:

• Female basketball players often exhibit poor lower extremity alignment during dynamic movements.
• Valgus knee collapse during stop actions increases injury risk.
• Improving dynamic alignment is crucial for performance and injury prevention in athletes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a short-term intervention for improving lower extremity alignment in female basketball players.
• To assess the effectiveness of a training program focused on neutral lower extremity positioning during jump shots.
• To analyze changes in lower extremity kinematics during stop movements after the intervention.

Main Methods:

• 20 healthy female college basketball players were divided into training and control groups.
• A 4-week intervention focused on neutral lower extremity alignment and avoiding knee valgus.
• Kinematic analysis using 3D video capture assessed lower extremity angles during stop actions.
• Two-way ANOVA was used to compare pre-intervention, 2-week, and 4-week data.

Main Results:

• The trained group showed significant improvement in lower extremity motion patterns after 2 weeks (p<0.05).
• No significant differences were observed between 2-week and 4-week intervention data.
• The training effectively improved dynamic alignment control in the coronal and horizontal planes.

Conclusions:

• A 2-week intervention is sufficient to enhance dynamic lower extremity alignment control in female basketball players.
• Targeted exercises can improve movement patterns during critical actions like the jump shot stop.
• This study highlights the potential for short-term training to positively impact biomechanics and potentially reduce injury risk.