Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
Comput Biol Med. 2024 Sep;180:108965. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108965. Epub 2024 Jul 30.
Single-leg landing (SL) is an essential technique in sports such as basketball, soccer, and volleyball, which is often associated with a high risk of knee-related injury. The ankle motion pattern plays a crucial role in absorbing the load shocks during SL, but the effect on the knee joint is not yet clear. This work aims to explore the effects of different ankle plantarflexion angles during SL on the risk of knee-related injury.
Thirty healthy male subjects were recruited to perform SL biomechanics tests, and one standard subject was selected to develop the finite element model of foot-ankle-knee integration. The joint impact force was used to evaluate the impact loads on the knee at various landing angles. The internal load forces (musculoskeletal modeling) and stress (finite element analysis) around the knee joint were simulated and calculated to evaluate the risk of knee-related injury during SL. To more realistically revert and simulate the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury mechanics, we developed a knee musculoskeletal model that reverts the ACL ligament to a nonlinear short-term viscoelastic mechanical mechanism (strain rate-dependent) generated by the dense connective tissue as a function of strain.
As the ankle plantarflexion angle increased during landing, both the peak knee vertical impact force (p = 0.001) and ACL force (p = 0.001) decreased significantly. The maximum von Mises stress of ACL, meniscus, and femoral cartilage decreased as the ankle plantarflexion angle increased. The overall range of variation in ACL stress was small and was mainly distributed in the femoral and tibial attachment regions, as well as in the mid-lateral region.
The current findings revealed that the use of larger ankle plantarflexion angles during landing may be an effective solution to reduce knee impact load and the risk of rupture of the medial femoral attachment area in the ACL. The findings of this study have the potential to offer novel perspectives in the optimized application of landing strategies, thus giving crucial theoretical backing for decreasing the risk of knee-related injury.
单腿着陆（SL）是篮球、足球和排球等运动中的一项基本技术，常与膝关节相关损伤的高风险相关。踝关节运动模式在吸收 SL 期间的负荷冲击方面起着至关重要的作用，但对膝关节的影响尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨 SL 过程中不同踝关节跖屈角度对膝关节相关损伤风险的影响。
招募了 30 名健康男性受试者进行 SL 生物力学测试，并选择了一名标准受试者来开发足踝膝一体化的有限元模型。采用关节撞击力评估不同着陆角度下膝关节的冲击负荷。模拟并计算膝关节周围的内负荷力（肌肉骨骼建模）和应力（有限元分析），以评估 SL 期间膝关节相关损伤的风险。为了更真实地还原和模拟前交叉韧带（ACL）损伤的力学特性，我们开发了一个膝关节肌肉骨骼模型，该模型将 ACL 韧带还原为一种非线性短期粘弹性机械机制（应变率依赖性），作为密集结缔组织的函数产生应变。
随着着陆时踝关节跖屈角度的增加，膝关节垂直冲击峰值力（p=0.001）和 ACL 力（p=0.001）均显著降低。随着踝关节跖屈角度的增加，ACL、半月板和股骨软骨的最大 von Mises 应力降低。ACL 应力的总体变化范围较小，主要分布在股骨和胫骨附着区以及中外侧区域。
目前的研究结果表明，在着陆时使用较大的踝关节跖屈角度可能是减少膝关节冲击负荷和降低 ACL 内侧股骨附着区断裂风险的有效方法。本研究的结果有可能为优化着陆策略的应用提供新的视角，从而为降低膝关节相关损伤的风险提供重要的理论支持。
