Postural Control During Single-Leg Landing in Female Athletes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Ayane Ogura, Terumitsu Miyazaki, Hirofumi Ida and 2 others
PMID 38835982WHAT IT FOUND
Female athletes over a year post-ACL reconstruction showed similar muscle timing and joint angles to healthy controls during single-leg landing.
However, they generated significantly higher hip external rotation moments in the compensatory phase, suggesting a specific postural strategy.
Key findings
01Muscle activity onset times and integrated EMG patterns during anticipatory and compensatory phases did not differ significantly between athletes with ACL reconstruction and healthy controls.
02Hip and knee joint angles during landing showed no significant differences between the two groups.
03Athletes with ACL reconstruction exhibited significantly higher hip external rotation moments during the compensatory phase compared to healthy controls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (9 per group), and the post-hoc power analysis indicated low power (0.49), meaning the study may have missed other differences. The study was conducted in a laboratory setting using a standardized box drop, which may not reflect the unpredictable demands of actual sports. Lower limb muscle strength was not measured, so it is unclear if strength deficits contributed to the observed moment differences. Only the involved leg was tested in the ACLR group, ignoring potential contralateral deficits. The cross-sectional design cannot determine if the observed hip moment differences are a cause or consequence of the injury or rehabilitation process.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that normal muscle timing and joint angles in this population mean the athlete has fully recovered normal neuromuscular control. The increased hip external rotation moment suggests a hidden compensatory strategy that standard EMG and angle assessments missed.