KNEE SEPARATION DISTANCE AND QUADRICEPS AND HAMSTRINGS STRENGTH DURING DROP VERTICAL JUMP LANDINGS

Abstract

Non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is common particularly in female athletes during jump landing tasks. Ligament dominance occurs when the muscles cannot control knee movement sufficiently thus increasing medial knee motion. Preferential use of the quadriceps during landing and greater strength compared to the hamstrings also increase the load placed on the ACL (Dugan, 2005). Noyes et al. (2005) measured knee separation distance during jump landings finding an increase after neuromuscular training. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between knee separation distance during drop jump landing and hamstrings and quadriceps strength in female athletes.