Two- and Three-Dimensional Relationships Between Knee and Hip Kinematic Motion Analysis: Single-Leg Drop-Jump Landings

• Published in: Journal of sport rehabilitation 2015-11, Vol.24 (4), p.363-372
• Main Authors: Sorenson, Bryan, Kernozek, Thomas W, Willson, John David, Ragan, Robert, Hove, Jordan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Athletic Injuries - physiopathology; Biomechanical Phenomena; Exercise - physiology; Female; Hip Joint - physiology; Humans; Kinematics; Knee; Knee Joint - physiology; Range of Motion, Articular - physiology; Regression Analysis; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1056-6716; 1543-3072
• DOI: 10.1123/jsr.2014-0206

Hip- and knee-joint kinematics during drop landings are relevant to lower-extremity injury mechanisms. In clinical research the "gold standard" for joint kinematic assessment is 3-dimensional (3D) motion analysis. However, 2-dimensional (2D) kinematic analysis is an objective and feasible alternative. To quantify the relationship between 2D and 3D hip and knee kinematics in single-leg drop landings and test for a set of 3D hip and knee kinematics that best predicts 2D kinematic measures during single-leg drop landings Design: Descriptive, comparative laboratory study. 31 healthy college-age women (65.5 kg [SD 12.3], 168.1 cm [SD 6.7]). Participants performed five 40-cm single-leg landings during motion capture at 240 Hz. Multiple regressions were used to predict relationships for knee and hip between 2D frontal-plane projection angles (FPPA) and 3D measurements. 2D knee FPPA had a strong relationship with 3D frontal-plane knee kinematics at initial contact (IC) (r2 = .72), which was only minimally improved with the addition of knee sagittal-plane and hip transverse-plane positions at IC (r2 = .77). In contrast, 2D knee FPPA had a low relationship with 3D knee-abduction excursion (r2 = .06). The addition of knee sagittal-plane and hip transverse-plane motions did not improve this relationship (r2 = .14). 2D hip FPPA had a moderate relationship with 3D frontal-plane hip position at IC (r2 = .52), which was strengthened with the addition of hip sagittal-plane position (r2 = .60). In addition, hip 2D FPPA into adduction excursion had a strong association with 3D hip-adduction excursion (r2 = .70). 2D kinematics can predict 3D frontal-plane hip and knee position at IC during a single-leg landing but predict 3D frontal-plane knee excursion with far less accuracy.