Effects of lead leg selection on bilateral landing force-time characteristics: Return to sport testing implications

We quantified the effect of lead leg selection on landing force-time characteristics during a vertical drop landing (VDL) initiated with a step-off. Plyometric-trained subjects (male: n = 8; female: n = 5; age =23 ± 3.3 years; body mass =74.4 ± 11.2 kg) performed 6 step-off-initiated VDLs from a 45-cm box (n = 3/lead leg). Pooled and lead leg stratified between-limb comparisons of limb-specific initial ground contact timing, peak vertical ground reaction force (Fz_peak ), and early landing-phase impulse (Impulse_100ms ) were assessed by a two-factor, within-subject ANOVA, and limb symmetry indexes were calculated (α = 0.05). Pooled data showed that the lead leg made contact prior to the trail leg and contributed a greater fraction to Fz_peak compared with the trail leg. Stratifying trials by lead leg selection led to significant between-limb differences in Fz_peak (p < 0.05) and Impulse_100ms (p < 0.01) with the right leg leading but not with the left leg leading. Lead leg selection in step-off-initiated VDLs influenced landing performance and limb symmetry indexes of variables associated with lower limb injury risk, suggesting the need to control for lead leg selection in these tasks. A step-off may not be a suitable technique to initiate landing tasks when assessing limb symmetry.