An analysis of the sidestep cutting manoeuvre

The sidestep cutting manoeuvre is a common mechanism of noncontact or isolated ACL ruptures in athletes. We analyzed the amount and direction of tibial rotation that occurred at the knee joint with a triaxial electrogoniometer on 11 male subjects who performed the sidestep cutting manoeuvre. The mean total tibial rotation was 19.84 +/- 5.63 degrees and the mean maximum point of internal tibial rotation occurred at 34.77 +/- 5.30% of the stance phase. However, greater values for internal tibial rotation occurred in the swing phase in association with a greater angle of knee flexion. Therefore, in our subjects, during the sidestep cutting manoeuvre, internal tibial rotation did occur at the knee but was not maximal. Under normal circumstances when performing the sidestep cutting manoeuvre, maximum internal tibial rotation does not occur and so the ACL is not placed under excessive strain in such a manoeuvre. If the ACL ruptures during a sidestep cutting manoeuvre then a possible cause may be the athlete's loss of the ability to control internal tibial rotation of the knee.