Movement Quality Assessment During Planned and Unplanned Change-of-Direction Maneuvers Among Female Basketball...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are prevalent in women's basketball, particularly during change-of-direction (COD) maneuvers.
• COD movement quality impacts ACL loading and varies between planned and unplanned tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare planned and unplanned COD mechanics in female collegiate basketball players.
• To examine differences in COD mechanics across collegiate divisions (Division 2 and 3).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional comparative study involving 60 female collegiate basketball players.
• Two-dimensional video analysis and the Cutting Movement Assessment Score (CMAS) were used to evaluate planned and unplanned COD tasks.
• Paired sample analysis compared movement conditions, and group comparison analyzed collegiate divisions.

Main Results:

• Significantly higher total CMAS scores were observed during planned COD tasks compared to unplanned tasks (P < .01).
• Most individual CMAS items were higher in planned movements, with exceptions in items 5 and 6, and item 2 showing higher scores in unplanned conditions (P < .001).
• Approach velocity correlated with CMAS scores and was higher in planned conditions, but the interaction between condition and velocity was not significant.

Conclusions:

• Female basketball players may display superior COD movement quality in planned versus unplanned scenarios.
• Approach velocity and stimulus timing may influence COD movement quality differences.
• Collegiate division does not appear to significantly impact movement quality in this population.