Reliability and Differences Between Sexes in Landing Mechanics when Performing the Lateral Bound Test

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in athletes, leading to significant costs and re-injury risks.
• Current biomechanical screenings primarily focus on sagittal plane movements, necessitating tools for frontal plane, sport-specific actions.
• The Lateral Bound Test (LBT) was developed to address this gap in functional movement assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of the Lateral Bound Test (LBT) for assessing frontal plane biomechanics.
• To examine sex-based differences in performance during the LBT.
• To determine the utility of the LBT as a screening tool for anterior cruciate ligament injury risk.

Main Methods:

• Healthy subjects performed lateral jumps over a hurdle, landing on one leg.
• Two-dimensional video analysis captured frontal plane projection angle (dynamic knee valgus) and knee flexion angles.
• Intra-rater and test-retest reliability were assessed, alongside comparisons between male and female participants.

Main Results:

• Excellent intra-rater reliability was found for all measured variables (ICC > 0.96).
• Test-retest reliability varied from poor (ICC = 0.47) to excellent (ICC > 0.90).
• Males exhibited significantly greater dynamic knee valgus upon landing compared to females (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• The LBT demonstrates excellent intra-rater reliability for assessing dynamic knee valgus and knee flexion in a functional frontal plane movement.
• Males land with greater dynamic knee valgus than females during the LBT, contrasting with sagittal plane screening findings.
• The LBT shows promise as a reliable screening tool for identifying athletes at risk of ACL injuries, particularly those with frontal plane instability.