Screening athletes to assess lower extremity injury risk has become a hot topic in research and clinical practice. Functional tests, such as the drop vertical jump (DVJ) test, are recommended to evaluate lower extremity movement quality as poor dynamic alignment is believed to be associated with an increased injury risk. Two-dimensional (2D) video analysis is a valid and reliable method to assess this movement quality (Munro et al., 2011). The inability to properly perform functional tasks can be related to multiple factors within the kinetic chain. An impaired lumbopelvic motor control (LPMC) is suggested to lead to compensatory movements of the lower extremity, resulting in injuries. However, the relation between clinical LPMC tests and quality of movement, analyzed with a 2D video analysis method, has not yet been established. Methods: A total of 63 elite female athletes (35 soccer, 16 handball and 12 volleyball) who were injury- and pain free were tested. Hip flexion (HF), knee valgus (KV), knee flexion (KF) and ankle dorsiflexion (ADF) angles were measured during the deepest landing phase of the DVJ test. LPMC was evaluated by a set of 6 tests, described by Luomajoki et al. (Luomajoki et al., 2007). Correlations between the 2D angles and the LPMC tests were calculated with the Spearman rank test. Results: In the soccer players, KV of the dominant leg (r=-0.243) and non-dominant leg (r=-0.012), HF (r=-0.142) and KF (r=0.006) were not significantly correlated, but ADF (r=0.369; p=0.029) was significantly correlated with the LPMC tests. In the handball players, KV of the dominant leg (r=-0.250) and non-dominant leg (r=-0.025), HF (r=0.031), KF (r=0.033) and ADF (r=-0.042) were not significantly correlated with the LPMC tests. In the volleyball players, KV of the dominant leg (r=-0.379) and non-dominant leg (r=-0.350), KF (r=0.412) and ADF (r=0.206) were not significantly correlated, but HF (r=0.589; p=0.044) was significantly correlated with the LPMC tests. Discussion: The findings of the present study show that less ADF in soccer players and less HF in volleyball players are significantly associated with decreased LPMC. Furthermore, there is a non-significant trend that more KV and less KF in volleyball players are associated with decreased LPMC. The high number of non-significant correlations suggests that the quality of movement during the DVJ test is also related to other factors than low load LPMC. Furthermore, a differentiation between sports is warranted.
© Copyright 2012 17th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), Bruges, 4. -7. July 2012. Veröffentlicht von Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.