CHANGES IN LOWER-LIMB MUSCLE FORCES WITH PROPHYLACTIC KNEE BRACING DURING LANDING AND STOP-JUMP TASKS

Abstract

Prophylactic knee braces are designed to prevent knee injuries, which often occur during sports such as basketball and volleyball, but their efficacy is debated. The purpose of this study is to calculate and compare lower-limb muscle forces in braced and unbraced recreational athletes during landing and stop-jump tasks. Experimental motion capture and ground reaction force data were collected from five participants with and without a knee brace. Subject-specific musculoskeletal models were created in OpenSim and were used to calculate muscle forces. Preliminary results indicated that knee bracing altered both the magnitude and timing of muscle actions. This study provides insight into the likely role of prophylactic knee bracing and muscle function in knee protection.