The interaction of trunk-load and trunk-position adaptations on knee anterior shear and hamstrings muscle forces during landing.
BACKGROUND
Because anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries can occur during deceleration maneuvers, biomechanics research has been focused on the lower extremity kinetic chain. Trunk mass and changes in trunk position affect lower extremity joint torques and work during gait and landing, but how the trunk affects knee joint and muscle forces is not well understood.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of added trunk load and adaptations to trunk position on knee anterior shear and knee muscle forces in landing.


METHODS
Crossover study.


METHODS
Controlled laboratory environment.


METHODS
Twenty-one participants (10 men: age = 20.3 +/- 1.15 years, height = 1.82 +/- 0.04 m, mass = 78.2 +/- 7.3 kg; 11 women: age = 20.0 +/- 1.10 years, height = 1.72 +/- 0.06 m, mass = 62.3 +/- 6.4 kg).


METHODS
Participants performed 2 sets of 8 double-leg landings under 2 conditions: no load and trunk load (10% body mass). Participants were categorized into one of 2 groups based on the kinematic trunk adaptation to the load: trunk flexor or trunk extensor.


METHODS
We estimated peak and average knee anterior shear, quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius forces with a biomechanical model.


RESULTS
We found condition-by-group interactions showing that adding a trunk load increased peak (17%) and average (35%) knee anterior shear forces in the trunk-extensor group but did not increase them in the trunk-flexor group (peak: F(1,19) = 10.56, P = .004; average: F(1,19) = 9.56, P = .006). We also found a main effect for condition for quadriceps and gastrocnemius forces. When trunk load was added, peak (6%; F(1,19) = 5.52, P = .030) and average (8%; F(1,19) = 8.83, P = .008) quadriceps forces increased and average (4%; F(1,19) = 4.94, P = .039) gastrocnemius forces increased, regardless of group. We found a condition-by-group interaction for peak (F(1,19) = 5.16, P = .035) and average (F(1,19) = 12.35, P = .002) hamstrings forces. When trunk load was added, average hamstrings forces decreased by 16% in the trunk-extensor group but increased by 13% in the trunk-flexor group.


CONCLUSIONS
Added trunk loads increased knee anterior shear and knee muscle forces, depending on trunk adaptation strategy. The trunk-extensor adaptation to the load resulted in a quadriceps-dominant strategy that increased knee anterior shear forces. Trunk-flexor adaptations may serve as a protective strategy against the added load. These findings should be interpreted with caution, as only the face validity of the biomechanical model was assessed.
Kulas
Anthony S
AS
Department of Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA. kulasa@ecu.edu
Hortobágyi
Tibor
T
Devita
Paul
P
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D035061:Control Groups; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000502:physiology*; D007718:Knee Injuries; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000502:physiology; D033081:Shear Strength; D055815:Young Adult