Identification of preferred landing leg in athletes previously injured and uninjured: A brief report.
BACKGROUND
The preferred or dominant limb is often subjectively defined by self-report. The purpose was to objectively classify preferred landing leg during landing in athletes previously injured and uninjured.


METHODS
Subjects with a history of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (n=101) and uninjured controls (n=57) participated. Three trials of a drop vertical jump were collected. Leg dominance was defined as the leg used to kick a ball while landing leg preference was calculated as the leg which landed first during landing trials. Limb symmetry index was also calculated during a single leg hop battery. The distribution of subjects that landed first on their uninvolved or dominant leg, respectively, was statistically compared. Limb symmetry from the single leg hop tests were compared within each subgroup.


RESULTS
The distribution of preferred landing leg to uninvolved limb for injured (71%) and dominant limb for controls (63%) was not statistically different between groups (P=0.29). Limb symmetry was decreased in injured subjects that preferred to land on their uninvolved limb compared to their involved limb during single leg (P<0.001), triple (P<0.001), cross-over (P<0.001), and timed hops (P=0.007). Differences in limb symmetry were not statistically different in controls (P>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The leg that first contacts the ground during landing may be a useful strategy to classify preferred landing leg. Among the injured subjects, 29% preferred to land on their involved leg, which may relate to improved confidence and readiness to return to sport, as improved limb symmetry was present during hop tests.
Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, High Point University, High Point, NC, USA. Electronic address: kford@highpoint.edu.
Kevin R
KR
Ford
Division of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Laura C
LC
Schmitt
Sports Health & Performance Institute, Ohio State University Sports Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Family Medicine and School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Family Medicine and School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Family Medicine and School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Sports Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Timothy E
TE
Hewett
Division of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Sports Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Mark V
MV
Paterno
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; Dominant limb; Drop vertical jump; Landing biomechanics; Limb asymmetries; Preferred landing leg