Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States of America.
Department of Physics, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2024 Jun 7;19(6):e0304511. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304511. eCollection 2024.
Change of direction, stops, and pivots are among the most common non-contact movements associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in soccer. By observing these dynamic movements, clinicians recognize abnormal kinematic patterns that contribute to ACL tears such as increased knee valgus or reduced knee flexion. Different motions and physical demands are observed across playing positions, which may result in varied lower limb kinematic patterns. In the present study, 28 college and sub-elite soccer players performed four dynamic motions (change of direction with and without ball, header, and instep kick) with the goal of examining the effect of on-field positioning, leg dominance, and gender in lower body kinematics. Motion capture software monitored joint angles in the knee, hip, and ankle. A three-way ANOVA showed significant differences in each category. Remarkably, centrally positioned players displayed significantly greater knee adduction (5° difference, p = 0.013), hip flexion (9° difference, p = 0.034), hip adduction (7° difference, p = 0.016), and dorsiflexion (12° difference, p = 0.022) when performing the instep kick in comparison to their laterally positioned counterparts. These findings suggest that central players tend to exhibit a greater range of motion when performing an instep kicking task compared to laterally positioned players. At a competitive level, this discrepancy could potentially lead to differences in lower limb muscle development among on-field positions. Accordingly, it is suggested to implement position-specific prevention programs to address these asymmetries in lower limb kinematics, which can help mitigate dangerous kinematic patterns and consequently reduce the risk of ACL injury in soccer players.
变向、急停和转身是与足球运动中前交叉韧带（ACL）损伤相关的最常见的非接触性动作。通过观察这些动态动作，临床医生可以识别出导致 ACL 撕裂的异常运动模式，例如增加膝外翻或减少膝屈曲。不同的动作和身体需求在不同的场上位置观察到，这可能导致下肢运动学模式的变化。在本研究中，28 名大学生和次精英足球运动员进行了四项动态动作（带球和不带球的变向、头球和正脚背踢球），目的是检查场上位置、腿优势和性别对下肢运动学的影响。运动捕捉软件监测了膝关节、髋关节和踝关节的关节角度。三因素方差分析显示每个类别都存在显著差异。值得注意的是，中央位置的球员在进行正脚背踢球时，膝关节内收（5°差异，p = 0.013）、髋关节屈曲（9°差异，p = 0.034）、髋关节内收（7°差异，p = 0.016）和背屈（12°差异，p = 0.022）显著大于外侧位置的球员。这些发现表明，与外侧位置的球员相比，中央位置的球员在进行正脚背踢球时，运动幅度更大。在竞争水平上，这种差异可能导致场上位置之间下肢肌肉发育的差异。因此，建议实施特定位置的预防计划，以解决下肢运动学的这些不对称问题，这有助于减轻危险的运动模式，从而降低足球运动员 ACL 受伤的风险。
