How does knee pain affect trunk and knee motion during badminton forehand lunges?

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics of sports injuries
• Kinesiology and neuromuscular control
• Musculoskeletal rehabilitation

Background:

• Badminton demands complex lower and upper extremity coordination.
• Chronic knee pain can significantly impact athletic performance and movement strategies.
• Understanding movement adaptations in injured athletes is crucial for effective rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate trunk and knee motion, dynamic stability, and muscle activation in badminton players with and without knee pain.
• To compare movement patterns during forward and backward lunges between healthy individuals and those with chronic knee pain.
• To identify key differences that inform rehabilitation strategies for injured badminton players.

Main Methods:

• Comparative study involving 17 participants with chronic knee pain and 17 healthy controls.
• Analysis of trunk and knee kinematics and kinetics during forehand forward and backward diagonal lunges.
• Electromyography (EMG) to assess muscle activation patterns, including paraspinal muscles.
• Measurement of dynamic stability parameters like center of mass (COM) velocity and hip-shoulder separation.

Main Results:

• Individuals with knee pain exhibited reduced knee motion in frontal/horizontal planes (forward lunge) but increased sagittal plane motion (backward lunge).
• The injured group showed lower paraspinal muscle activation, reduced hip-shoulder separation, less trunk forward inclination, and lower peak COM velocity.
• Healthy participants demonstrated superior weight-shifting ability due to enhanced trunk and knee muscle control.

Conclusions:

• Badminton players with knee pain adopt conservative movement strategies to avoid pain recurrence.
• Rehabilitation programs should focus on enhancing neuromuscular control and muscle strength, particularly in core and knee extensor muscles.
• Emphasis on backward lunge motion training is recommended for players experiencing knee pain.