Gender differences of lower extremity kinematics during single leg landing

Abstract

The higher anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rate of females is one of the most sever athletic-related problems today. The purpose of this study is to compare the lower extremity kinematics between male and female during single leg landing. Six male and four female healthy subjects participated in this study. They jumped from a 32 cm high box and landed with the dominant leg. The landing action was filmed with three video cameras. The knee flexion, knee valgus/varus, and hip adduction/abduction angle and angle velocity were calculated. In female subjects, the knee flexion angle and hip adduction angle were greater compared to males. Also, the knee valgus velocity and hip adduction velocity were higher in females. Our results suggest that knee valgus kinematics may be related to hip adduction. It is important to evaluate hip kinematics when considering knee kinematics to prevent knee ligament injuries.