Biomechanical Factors Predisposing to Knee Injuries in Junior Female Basketball Players

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Establishing normative isokinetic and isometric strength data is crucial for assessing athletic performance and injury risk in young athletes.
• Adolescent basketball players are susceptible to lower limb injuries, making sex-specific strength benchmarks important for preventive strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine isokinetic and isometric strength norms for ankle and knee joints in healthy 15-16-year-old basketball players.
• To compare strength parameters between male and female adolescent basketball players across various joint speeds and movements.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study involving 42 healthy adolescent basketball players (15-16 years old).
• Collection of sociodemographic, anthropometric, and biomechanical data, including isokinetic and isometric strength measurements of the ankle and knee.
• Statistical analysis to identify significant differences in strength based on sex and joint parameters.

Main Results:

• Men were taller and heavier than women, with significant sex differences in height (p < 0.001).
• Significant sex differences were observed in knee flexor and extensor strength at various isokinetic speeds (30°, 120°, 180°/s), except for right leg knee flexion at 180°/s.
• Ankle strength (inversion, eversion, work) showed no significant sex differences, though range of motion (RoM) did differ significantly for both ankles (p = 0.004 for right, p = 0.035 for left).

Conclusions:

• Adolescent female basketball players demonstrate lower knee extensor strength compared to their male counterparts.
• Interventions aimed at improving knee flexor/extensor strength in female players are recommended to match male levels and potentially mitigate injury risk.
• The generated normative data can inform the development of targeted injury prevention and rehabilitation programs for young basketball athletes.