Frontal plane landing mechanics in high-arched compared with low-arched female athletes

Objective : To examine ground reaction forces (GRFs); frontal plane hip, knee, and ankle joint angles; and moments in high-arched (HA) and low-arched (LA) athletes during landing. Design : Experimental study. Setting: Controlled research laboratory. Participants : Twenty healthy female recreational athletes (10 HA and 10 LA). Interventions: Athletes performed 5 barefoot drop landings from a height of 30 cm. Main Outcome Measures : Frontal plane ankle, knee, and hip joint angles (in degrees) at initial contact, peak vertical GRF, and peak knee flexion; peak ankle, knee, and hip joint moments in the frontal plane. Results : Vertical GRF profiles were similar between HA and LA athletes (P = 0.78). The HA athletes exhibited significantly smaller peak ankle inversion angles than the LA athletes (P = 0.01) at initial contact. At peak vertical GRF, HA athletes had significantly greater peak knee (P = 0.01) and hip abduction angles than LA athletes (P = 0.02). There were no significant differences between HA and LA athletes in peak joint moments (hip: P = 0.68; knee: P = 0.71; ankle: P = 0.15). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that foot type is associated with altered landing mechanics, which may underlie lower extremity injuries. The ankle-driven strategy previously reported in female athletes suggests that foot function may have a greater relationship with lower extremity injury than that in male athletes. Future research should address the interaction of foot type and gender during landing tasks. © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins