Role of shoe–surface interaction and noncontact acl injuries

Abstract

This chapter presents the evidence regarding one of the environmental factors affecting a female athlete’s risk of noncontact ACL injury, shoe–surface interaction. This interaction is defined as the coefficient of friction (COF) between the athlete’s shoe and the surface. There are three factors that may affect the COF of the shoe–surface interaction: the intrinsic shoe properties, the intrinsic surface properties, and the weather conditions during the time of play. Furthermore, increased COF conditions are associated with higher ACL injury rates than decreased COF conditions. Additionally, increasing the COF of the shoe–surface interaction causes an athlete to alter her movement techniques in specific ways that increase the risk of ACL injury, providing a biomechanical basis for the increased incidence of ACL injuries observed on high COF surfaces.