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Frontal plane landing mechanics in high-arched compared with low-arched female athletes
Douglas W Powell1, Nicholas J Hanson, Benjamin Long
1Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Exercise Science, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, West Virginia 26554, USA. dwp0817@gmail.com
Objective:
To examine ground reaction forces (GRFs); frontal plane hip, knee, and ankle joint angles; and moments in high-arched (HA) and low-arched (LA) athletes during landing.
Design:
Experimental study.
Setting:
Controlled research laboratory.
Participants:
Twenty healthy female recreational athletes (10 HA and 10 LA).
Interventions:
Athletes performed 5 barefoot drop landings from a height of 30 cm.
Main Outcome Measures:
Frontal plane ankle, knee, and hip joint angles (in degrees) at initial contact, peak vertical GRF, and peak knee flexion; peak ankle, knee, and hip joint moments in the frontal plane.
Results:
Vertical GRF profiles were similar between HA and LA athletes (P = 0.78). The HA athletes exhibited significantly smaller peak ankle inversion angles than the LA athletes (P = 0.01) at initial contact. At peak vertical GRF, HA athletes had significantly greater peak knee (P = 0.01) and hip abduction angles than LA athletes (P = 0.02). There were no significant differences between HA and LA athletes in peak joint moments (hip: P = 0.68; knee: P = 0.71; ankle: P = 0.15).
Conclusions:
These findings demonstrate that foot type is associated with altered landing mechanics, which may underlie lower extremity injuries. The ankle-driven strategy previously reported in female athletes suggests that foot function may have a greater relationship with lower extremity injury than that in male athletes. Future research should address the interaction of foot type and gender during landing tasks.
