Background: The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries among dancers is much lower than that among team sport athletes and no clear gender disparity has been reported in the dance population. Although numerous studies have observed differences in lower extremity landing biomechanics between male and female athletes, there is currently little research examining the landing biomechanics of male and female dancers. Comparing landing biomechanics within this population may help explain the lower overall anterior cruciate ligament injury rates and the lack of gender disparity.
Hypothesis: Due to the fact that dancers receive jump-specific and balance-specific training from a very young age, we hypothesized that there would be no gender differences in drop-landing biomechanics in professional dancers.
Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.
Methods: Kinematics and ground-reaction forces were recorded as 33 professional modern and ballet dancers (12 men and 21 women) performed single-legged drop landings from a 30-cm platform. Joint kinematics and kinetics were compared between genders.
Results: No gender differences in joint kinematics or kinetics were found during landings (multivariate analysis of variance: P = .490 and P = .175, respectively). A significant relationship was found between the age at which the dancers began training and the peak hip adduction angle during landing (r = .358, P = .041).
Conclusion: In executing a 30-cm drop landing, male and female dancers exhibited similar landing strategies and avoided landing patterns previously associated with increased injury rates.
Clinical Relevance: Commonly reported biomechanical differences between men and women, as well as the gender disparity among athletes in the incidence of ACL injuries, may be the result of inadequate experience in proper balance and landing technique rather than intrinsic gender factors. Beginning jump-specific and balance-specific training at an early age may counteract the potentially harmful adaptations in landing biomechanics observed in female athletes after maturity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0363546509339365 | DOI Listing |
J Biomech
January 2025
Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Unit of Physiotherapy, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. Electronic address:
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reinjury rates among athletes remain very high despite screening protocols designed to assess readiness for return to sport. To better identify biomechanical risk factors for ACL injury, combining neurocognitive challenges and high-impact tasks would more closely resemble sporting demands. We investigated the influence of secondary cognitive tasks on landing mechanics during bilateral drop vertical jumps (DVJs) among athletes following ACL reconstruction and whether sex affected these results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Biomech (Bristol)
December 2024
UGA Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
Background: Female soccer athletes with a history of anterior cruciate ligament injury are more susceptible to secondary injuries and potentially worse sport performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if female soccer athletes post anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction demonstrate worse jump height and reactive strength index performance and lower involved limb hip, knee, and ankle joint power and absorption, and larger joint power and absorption asymmetries compared to matched uninjured athletes.
Methods: Eleven Division I female soccer athletes post anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (18.
Gait Posture
December 2024
Department of Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Human Services, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA; Department of Health and Human Performance, Congdon School of Health Sciences, High Point University, High Point, NC, USA. Electronic address:
Background: People with patellofemoral pain (PFP) may have bilateral deficits in hop for distance test (SLHD) performance, whereas the worsening performance of the pain-free or less painful limbs suggests that bilateral movement differences may occur. While clinicians may not be aware of bilateral movement differences that may be employed during the clinical assessment of SLHD performance (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSports (Basel)
December 2024
Research Center for Sport and Health Sciences, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavik, Iceland.
Given the increasing use of innovative force plate systems in applied sports settings and the impact that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have on team success, the purpose of the present study was to compare the lower-body neuromuscular performance characteristics of athletes who underwent ACL reconstruction (ACLR) and their non-injured counterparts (i.e., healthy controls).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
December 2024
Injury Prevention and Mobility Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Falls are common in mountain biking (MTB), and often involve high speeds, large descent heights, and rough landing terrains. However, most falls in MTB do not cause serious injury. This may be due, in part, to protective movements used by MTB riders to avoid injury.
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