Effects of prophylactic knee bracing on knee joint kinetics and kinematics during single- and double-limb post-catch deceleration strategies in university netballers

PURPOSE: The aim of the current investigation was to investigate the effects of a prophylactic knee brace on knee joint kinetics and kinematics during single and double limb deceleration tasks. METHODS: Twenty female university first team level netballers performed single and double limb deceleration tasks under two conditions (prophylactic knee brace/ no-brace). Biomechanical data was captured using an eight-camera 3D motion capture system and a force platform. Participants also subjectively rated the comfort/ stability properties of the brace and their knee joint proprioception was examined with and without the knee brace using a weight bearing joint position sense test. RESULTS: The results showed that during both single and double limb deceleration tasks neither peak anterior cruciate ligament (brace: single=1.30 / double=1.30 bodyweight (BW) & no-brace: single=1.19 / double=1.29 BW) P=0.51, patellofemoral (brace: single=4.21/ double = 4.93 BW & no- brace: single=3.99 / double=4.63 BW) P=0.20 or patellar tendon (brace: single = 6.17/ double=6.49 BW & no-brace: single=6.07 / double=6.14 BW) P=0.49 kinetics were significantly affected as a function of wearing the knee brace. The findings also showed that the knee brace helped to increase participants perceived knee stability (P