Increased visual distraction can impair landing biomechanics

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Neuroscience
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Musculoskeletal trauma often results from failed jump landings.
• Cognitive dual-tasking during the flight phase may influence injury risk.
• Investigating the impact of cognitive load on landing biomechanics is crucial for injury prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if increased visual distraction compromises landing biomechanics during counter-movement jumps (CMJ).
• To assess the effect of cognitive dual-tasking on landing errors and kinetic variables.
• To explore the relationship between cognitive load and landing stability.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one healthy participants performed CMJ with varying levels of visual distraction (memorizing 1-3 jersey numbers).
• Landing biomechanics were assessed using a capacitive pressure platform, measuring time to stabilization (TTS), peak ground reaction force (pGRF), and centre of pressure trace (COPT).
• Cognitive performance was evaluated through recall errors.

Main Results:

• Landing errors remained consistent across all distraction levels (p = .46).
• Increased cognitive load led to a higher number of recall errors (p = .001).
• Higher cognitive loading negatively impacted mediolateral COPT (p < .05), while TTS and pGRF were unaffected.

Conclusions:

• Simple visual distraction adversely affects landing stability and short-term memory during CMJ.
• Impaired environmental perception under time constraints may represent a novel injury risk factor.
• Further prospective trials are needed to validate these findings in injury risk assessment.