A PILOT STUDY OF THE KNEE JOINT ACTION CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOADING IN LANDINGS PERFORMED BY FEMALES

Abstract

Females are particularly susceptible to knee injuries in landing. This investigation aimed to gain further insight into the contributions of female knee joint actions to loading in landing. A wobbling mass model was used to simulate landings executed with a self-selected strategy. The selected knee actions were modified and the resulting loads were examined. A 0.05 s change in knee joint action timing substantially increased the peak vertical ground reaction force (GFz) by 1.55 BW. Conversely, a small reduction in peak GFz (0.06 BW) was produced using a 10 % more extended knee during the impact. The prominent influence the knee joint action timing had on loading may be attributed to the need to maintain coordinated and continuous load attenuation. Subject-specific modifications to landing strategies were found to achieve load reductions.