Altered Ground Reaction Force and Dynamic Stability During a Single-Leg Stabilization Task in Female Athletes With...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Physiology

Background:

• Female athletes are prone to lateral ankle sprains (LAS), increasing the risk of recurrent injury.
• LAS is linked to impaired diaphragm function and altered breathing mechanics, affecting landing impact mitigation.
• Current rehabilitation for LAS often overlooks the biomechanical role of breathing patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare ground reaction forces and dynamic stability during single-leg landing in female athletes with LAS based on breathing patterns.
• To investigate the association between diaphragmatic versus dysfunctional breathing and landing biomechanics in athletes with a history of LAS.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 283 female athletes with a history of LAS.
• Participants were categorized as diaphragmatic or dysfunctional breathers using the Hi-Lo test.
• Single-leg drop-landing tasks were analyzed for ground reaction forces (GRF) and time to stabilization.

Main Results:

• 85.9% of athletes with LAS history exhibited dysfunctional breathing patterns.
• Dysfunctional breathers showed significantly greater peak posterior GRF (P = .01) and longer time to stabilization (P = .04) compared to diaphragmatic breathers.
• These findings suggest impaired force attenuation and dynamic stability in dysfunctional breathers.

Conclusions:

• Dysfunctional breathing patterns may impair dynamic stability and force attenuation in female athletes post-LAS.
• Assessing breathing mechanics can identify specific impairments in athletes with LAS, aiding targeted rehabilitation.
• Integrating breathing pattern assessment may enhance treatment strategies for dynamic postural stability deficits after ankle injury.