Knee loading patterns in a simulated netball landing task

The knee is a common site of injury in netball players. In this study, 10 high-performance netball players underwent a biomechanical assessment of their single leg landing technique whilst receiving a pass. Three-dimensional video and ground reaction force data were recorded using a motion analysis system. Net internal knee joint moments were calculated using a rigid body analysis and inverse dynamics. The kinematics of the support leg and front-on video footage was used to investigate whether players adhered to guidelines on safe and effective landing strategies. Results indicated that for most players the internal valgus moment was the largest frontal plane knee moment during the landing phase. This may reflect a relatively greater need to resist varus knee excursion or may be related to the kinematics of the hip. For 6 of the 10 players the rapid change to an internal knee valgus moment coincided with hip adduction. Since an increase in the magnitude of the internal valgus moment may increase the compressive forces in the medial compartment of the knee, further work should be undertaken to determine if a neuromuscular training intervention to improve the strength of the hip musculature may be beneficial for these players. A large relative excursion of the knee compared to the hip may indicate that these players had a greater reliance on the more distal segments of the lower extremity for the attenuation of the ground reaction forces. This information may be used to better understand potential knee injury mechanisms in netball players