Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2025
Subject-specific Musculoskeletal Model for Studying Bone Strain During Dynamic Motion
Published on: April 11, 2018
Analysis of landing performance and ankle injury in elite British artistic gymnastics using a modified drop land
Brian Glynn1, Jason Laird2, Lee Herrington3
1Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain, School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
Objectives:
To determine whether differences in landing force and asymmetry of landing force exist between gymnasts at the time of data collection versus those that subsequently experienced an ankle injury 12-months later.
Study Design:
Prospective longitudinal observational design with baseline measures and 12 month follow up.
Setting:
British Gymnastics National Training Centre.
Participants:
Thirty-two asymptomatic elite level gymnasts from three artistic gymnastic squads (n = 15 senior female, n = 10 junior female and n = 7 senior male).
Main Outcome Measures:
A modified drop land task was used to quantify measures of landing performance. Peak Vertical Ground Reaction Force (PVGRF) was used to measure landing force. The level of inter-limb asymmetry of landing force was calculated using the Limb Symmetry index (LSI). Other measures included injury incidence and percentage coefficient of variation (% CV).
Results:
There was no statistical difference for landing force (p = 0.481) and asymmetry of landing force (p = 0.698) when comparing injured and non-injured gymnasts. Most participants (69%) demonstrated inter-limb asymmetry of landing forces.
Conclusions:
Our findings observed inter-limb asymmetry of landing force in injured gymnasts, although uninjured gymnasts also exhibited asymmetry of landing force. Both magnitude of landing force and inter-limb asymmetries of landing force failed to identify the risk of ankle injury.
