Lower Extremity Review
Radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis five years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is significantly more likely in patients with limited range of motion—even by just a few degrees—in the operated knee, according to research presented at the AAOS...
Theories posit complex mechanisms
In recent years, discussions of anterior cruciate ligament injury biomechanics have increasingly concluded that the mechanism of such injuries is likely multifactorial, with a number of different lines of research each contributing a piece of the puzzle. Now some investigators are beginning to articulate just what these multifactorial mechanisms might entail.
A French study suggests that leg stiffness and power in tennis players are each significantly correlated with countermovement jump height and running speed—two factors that earlier research linked to competitive performance. Investigators from the Universite du Maine...
Taking a load off during training may help volleyball players jump higher, according to Australian research published in the January issue of the Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport. Assisted jump training, in which 10 kg of assistance was provided by a bungee...
Altered activation isn’t just at the ankle – Two studies presented at the second International Foot and Ankle Biomechanics conference add to the evidence that treatment of chronic ankle instability should focus on improving feed-forward neuromuscular control mechanisms.
Strength training focused on the pronation and supination affects rearfoot motion in runners to a greater extent than traditional plantar- and dorsiflexion training, according to research from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.
Gender differences in leg alignment and muscle activation during a soccer kick may in turn help explain gender differences in knee injury risk, according to research from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
Barefoot running seems a solution By Jordana Bieze Foster Despite what you may have heard, researchers are a long way from proving that barefoot runners are less prone to injury than those who run in shoes. But data presented at two conferences in August does suggest...
A tennis-specific version of the neuromuscular training program developed in Cincinnati could significantly improve performance on the court, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The Sportsmetrics...
Much of the literature on hormones and ligament laxity has focused on the knee, but a study from James Madison University suggests that an interaction between hormone levels and fatigue may also affect laxity at the ankle. Researchers analyzed ankle ligament laxity in...
Studies clash over surgery’s significance
In the wake of a Dutch report that surgery does not decrease the risk of radiographically diagnosed osteoarthritis following anterior cruciate ligament injury, research presented in July identified preoperative variables that could predict the development of OA after ACL reconstruction.
Plus: • Hamstring injuries • Hip screening
As a growing body of research supports the idea that fatigue contributes to sports-related injury, investigators are now working to identify those athletes who may be most vulnerable to the effects of fatigue and interventions that could counteract those effects.
Even in the absence of impaired joint laxity, chronically unstable ankles demonstrate a reduced ability to detect afferent signals in response to applied loads, according to research from the University of Delaware. In 19 healthy ankles and 10 ankles with chronic...
Closed kinetic chain exercises vary considerably with respect to quadriceps-hamstrings co-contraction, which may have significant implications for rehabilitation, according to research from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Investigators analyzed...
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