Biomechanical contributors to loading rates during gait following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis (PTOA) develops rapidly after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and both high and low vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) loading rates are associated with cartilage degeneration. However, the gait characteristics that influence vGRF linear and instantaneous loading rates after ACLR are unknown. Sixty-nine individuals with ACLR (sex: 72 % female, age: 20 ± 3 years, and time since ACLR: 26 ± 16 months) walked at a self-selected pace from which the vGRF linear (slope from heel strike to peak) and instantaneous (peak of the first time derivative) loading rates were calculated.

Lower extremity joint angle, moment, and coordination throughout a double limb drop vertical jump in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) utilise different landing biomechanics between limbs, but previous analyses have not considered the continuous or simultaneous joint motion that occurs during landing and propulsion. The purpose of this study was to compare sagittal plane ankle/knee and knee/hip coordination patterns as well as ankle, knee, and hip angles and moments and vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) between the ACLR and uninjured limbs during landing and propulsion. Fifteen females and thirteen males performed a drop vertical jump from a 30 cm box placed half their height from force platforms.

Lower extremity and trunk sagittal plane coordination strategies and kinetic distribution during landing in males and females.

Force attenuation during landing requires coordinated motion of the ankle, knee, hip, and trunk, and strategies may differ between sexes. Sagittal plane coordination of the ankle/knee, knee/hip, and knee/trunk, and lower extremity and trunk kinematics and kinetics was compared throughout landing between 28 males and 28 females. Coordination was assessed with a modified vector coding technique and binning analysis.