The effect of external ankle support on the kinematics and kinetics of the lower limb during a side step cutting task in netballers

John Greene; Max Stuelcken; Richard Murray Smith; Benedicte Vanwanseele

doi:10.1186/2052-1847-6-42

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The effect of external ankle support on the kinematics and kinetics of the lower limb during a side step cutting task in netballers

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The effect of external ankle support on the kinematics and kinetics of the lower limb during a side step cutting task in netballers

John Greene, Max Stuelcken, Richard Murray Smith and Benedicte Vanwanseele

BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol.6, 42

2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-1847-6-42

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Abstract

netball

sidestep cutting

biomechanics

external ankle support

knee joint loading

internal valgus moment

Background: Excessive knee valgus moments are considered to be a risk factor for non-contact injuries in female athletes. Knee injuries are highly prevalent in netballers and are significant in terms of cost and disability. The aim of the study was to identify if changes in external ankle support mechanisms effect the range of motion and loading patterns at the ankle and knee joint during a sidestep cutting manoeuvre in high performance netball players. Methods Netballers with no previously diagnosed ankle or knee injury (n = 10) were recruited from NSW Institute of Sport netball programme. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected simultaneously using a 3-D Motion Analysis System and a force platform to measure ground reaction forces. Players performed repeated side step cutting manoeuvres whilst wearing a standard netball shoe, the same shoe with a lace-up brace and a high-top shoe. Results The brace condition significantly reduced ankle joint ROM in the sagittal plane by 8.9°±2.4 when compared to the standard netball shoe (p = 0.013). No other significant changes were seen between conditions for either kinematic or kinetic data. All shoe conditions did however produce knee valgus moments throughout the cutting cycle that were greater than those considered excessive in the previous literature (0.59 Nm / kg-Bwt).Conclusions The results show that an external ankle support brace can be used to reduce the ROM at the ankle in the sagittal plane without affecting the loading of the joints of the lower limb. Internal varus moments generated at the knee during the task were however greater than values reported in the literature to classify excessive knee joint moments, regardless of the condition. All netballers exhibited lower extremity patterns and alignments previously associated with increased peak external valgus moments including; increasing hip abduction, peak hip flexion and internal rotation during early contact and high laterally directed ground reaction forces. Increased external valgus knee loads have been strongly linked to the development of non-contact injuries at the knee in female athletes and could highlight a potential mechanism for the development non-contact knee injuries in netballers performing side step cutting tasks.

Details

Title: The effect of external ankle support on the kinematics and kinetics of the lower limb during a side step cutting task in netballers
Authors: John Greene (Author) - University of Sydney
Max Stuelcken (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Richard Murray Smith (Author) - University of Sydney
Benedicte Vanwanseele (Author) - Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Publication details: BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol.6, 42
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd.
Date published: 2014
DOI: 10.1186/2052-1847-6-42
ISSN: 2052-1847
Copyright note: Copyright © 2014 Greene et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99448836602621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Rehabilitation; Sport Sciences