Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Graduate Course of Health and Social Services, Graduate School of Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 10;13(1):12957. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-39682-6.
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries in runners and jumpers, with a higher incidence in females. However, mechanisms underlying sex-associated differences in its incidence remain unclear. This study investigated the possible differences in landing and jumping kinematics and kinetics of the foot between sexes during drop-jump activities. Twenty-six participants, including 13 males and 13 females, performed drop-jumps from a platform onto force plates. Nineteen trials including ten males and nine females were selected for inverse dynamics analysis. The patterns of stretch and tensile force generated by the plantar aponeurosis (PA) were estimated using a multi-segment foot model incorporating the PA. Our results demonstrated that dorsiflexion, angular velocity, and normalized plantarflexion moment of the midtarsal joint right after the heel landed on the floor were significantly larger in females than in males. Consequently, the PA strain rate and tensile stress tended to be larger in females than in males. Such differences in the kinematics and kinetics of the foot and the PA between sexes could potentially lead to a higher prevalence of foot injuries such as plantar fasciitis in females.
足底筋膜炎是跑跳运动员中最常见的肌肉骨骼损伤之一，女性的发病率更高。然而，其发病率性别差异的潜在机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在探讨在跳落活动中男女足落地和跳跃运动学及动力学的可能差异。26 名参与者，包括 13 名男性和 13 名女性，从平台上跳下落到测力板上。选择了包括 10 名男性和 9 名女性在内的 19 次试验进行反向动力学分析。使用包含足底筋膜（PA）的多节足部模型来估计 PA 产生的拉伸和拉伸力模式。我们的结果表明，女性在脚跟触地后中跗关节的背屈、角速度和足底屈肌归一化力矩明显大于男性。因此，PA 的应变速率和拉伸应力在女性中比男性更倾向于较大。这种男女足和 PA 的运动学和动力学的差异可能导致女性足部受伤（如足底筋膜炎）的发生率更高。
