Lower Kinetic Chain, Meet the Thinking Brain: A Scoping Review of Cognitive Function and Lower Extremity Injury Risk.

Unlabelled: The classic model of non-contact ACL injury includes environmental, anatomical, hormonal and biomechanical risk factors which directly impact either the amount of stress placed on the ligament or the relative capacity of ligament to withstand the forces placed on it. However, cognition also clearly plays a role in successful athletic performance, yet diminished cognitive function is rarely considered a risk factor for injury.

Objective: To examine the existing literature to determine the extent to which cognitive function (both cognitive ability and task cognitive load) influences non-contact lower extremity injury risk in male and female athletes with a broad variety of athletic expertise.