Concussion History Moderates Trunk Motion and Lower Extremity Biomechanical Relationships During Jump Landing and...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Neurology

Background:

• Concussion history, trunk motion, and lower extremity biomechanics are linked to musculoskeletal injury risk.
• Understanding modifiable factors like trunk motion is crucial for injury prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interaction between concussion history and trunk motion on injury risk biomechanics.
• To analyze how trunk flexion and lateral bending influence lower extremity movements during jump landing and cutting in female athletes.

Main Methods:

• Division I female athletes (24 with concussion history, 20 without) performed jump landings and 45° jump-to-cuts.
• Multiple linear regressions with interaction terms were used to analyze ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion/abduction angles, and knee moments.
• Specific trunk movements (flexion, lateral bending) were correlated with lower extremity biomechanics.

Main Results:

• A significant interaction between concussion history and trunk flexion was found for nondominant external knee flexion moment during jump landing.
• During cutting, interactions were observed for dominant limb dorsiflexion angle and dominant/nondominant limb external knee flexion moments with trunk movements.
• Concussion history was associated with increased external knee flexion moment with greater trunk flexion and altered knee moments with trunk lateral bending.

Conclusions:

• Concussion history interacts with trunk motion to influence lower extremity biomechanics during dynamic movements.
• Trunk flexion and lateral bending appear to be modifiable factors that, in conjunction with concussion history, contribute to atypical injury risk biomechanics.
• These findings highlight the importance of assessing trunk control in athletes with a history of concussion for targeted injury prevention strategies.