title: Frontal plane landing mechanics in high-arched compared with low-arched female athletes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine ground reaction forces (GRFs); frontal plane hip, knee, and ankle joint angles; and moments in high-arched (HA) and low-arched (LA) athletes during landing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Controlled research laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty healthy female recreational athletes (10 HA and 10 LA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Athletes performed 5 barefoot drop landings from a height of 30 cm.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frontal plane ankle, knee, and hip joint angles (in degrees) at initial contact, peak vertical GRF, and peak knee flexion; peak ankle, knee, and hip joint moments in the frontal plane.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vertical GRF profiles were similar between HA and LA athletes (P = 0.78). The HA athletes exhibited significantly smaller peak ankle inversion angles than the LA athletes (P = 0.01) at initial contact. At peak vertical GRF, HA athletes had significantly greater peak knee (P = 0.01) and hip abduction angles than LA athletes (P = 0.02). There were no significant differences between HA and LA athletes in peak joint moments (hip: P = 0.68; knee: P = 0.71; ankle: P = 0.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrate that foot type is associated with altered landing mechanics, which may underlie lower extremity injuries. The ankle-driven strategy previously reported in female athletes suggests that foot function may have a greater relationship with lower extremity injury than that in male athletes. Future research should address the interaction of foot type and gender during landing tasks.
authors.affiliation: Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Exercise Science, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, West Virginia 26554, USA. dwp0817@gmail.com
authors.forename: Douglas W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: D S Blaise
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000502:physiology*; D033023:Foot Joints / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult