Lower-extremity kinematics during unanticipated side-cutting including before initial ground contact

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Medicine
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) are common in sports involving side-cutting movements.
• The biomechanical differences between anticipated (ANT-SC) and unanticipated side-cutting (UNA-SC) leading to LAS are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in lower-extremity kinematics between ANT-SC and UNA-SC.
• To identify kinematic factors contributing to LAS incidence during these movements.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 21 male soccer players.
• Analysis of ankle, knee, and hip kinematics during ANT-SC and UNA-SC tasks.
• Statistical parametric mapping used to analyze kinematic data from pre-initial contact to toe-off.

Main Results:

• UNA-SC exhibited faster hip abduction and lateral foot movement before initial contact.
• Faster ankle inversion occurred immediately after initial contact during UNA-SC.
• Sagittal plane analysis showed reduced ankle dorsiflexion and increased knee/hip flexion during UNA-SC.

Conclusions:

• UNA-SC, characterized by increased lateral foot velocity and hip abduction, leads to faster ankle inversion, elevating LAS risk.
• Hip and knee joint kinematics in the sagittal plane may act as compensatory mechanisms to absorb impact and protect the ankle during UNA-SC.