Effects of Forefoot versus Rearfoot Landing on Biomechanical Risk Factors for Lower Limb Injuries and Performance During Stop-Jump Tasks

Abstract

BackgroundLower limb injuries commonly occur during sudden deceleration movements. Instructing landing with forefoot or rearfoot is hard to answer, especially considering the injury prevention and keep the performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of the forefoot and rearfoot landing on the biomechanical risk of lower limb injury prevention and performance during the stop-jumping task. MethodTwenty-three male health subjects were recruited for this study. During a stop-jumping task, three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic, and performance data were collected under two conditions: forefoot landing at initial ground contact and rearfoot landing at initial ground contact. Statistical parametric mapping analysis was used to compare the differences between different landing strategies. ResultSignificant differences were found in ankle internal rotation angle and ankle joint moment at foot initial contact with ground between different landing strategies. Landing with forefoot has shorter stance time compared with landing with rearfoot. In the rearfoot strike, posterior ground reaction force (GRF) and GRF inclination angle were smaller than forefoot strike in 0-14% of the stance phase. ConclusionLanding with forefoot may decrease the risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries and have an advancement in quick reaction time, as indicated by decreased stance time, but the risk of lateral ankle sprain may increase for the stop-jump task.