The Effect of External and Combined Focus Instructions on Lower Extremity and Trunk Kinetic and Kinematic Parameters During Landing in Young Female Athletes With Asymptomatic Dynamic Knee Valgus - A Randomized Controlled Trial
Bahçeşehir University
Summary
Female athletes are at higher risk of knee injuries, particularly non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, often caused by dynamic knee valgus during landing. Proper landing techniques and neuromuscular training are crucial for injury prevention. Attentional focus strategies, such as external focus (EF) and internal focus (IF), can influence movement patterns, muscle activation, and skill transfer during landing tasks. EF generally promotes safer and more controlled landings, while IF offers certain kinematic benefits. However, real-world sports often require a combination of attentional strategies, and the effects of combined EF + IF instructions on landing mechanics and muscle activation have not been fully studied. This study will investigate the effects of EF and combined attentional focus instructions on lower extremity and trunk movement, muscle activation, and skill transfer in young female athletes with asymptomatic dynamic knee valgus. The investigators aim to determine whether combined attentional focus training provides greater improvements in landing mechanics, muscle activation, and skill transfer than EF training alone.
Description
Female athletes experience knee injuries significantly more often, with an incidence rate approximately 3.5 times higher than that of their male counterparts. One of the most common knee injuries is anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, with the risk being particularly high in female athletes, who have a reported incidence of non-contact ACL injuries of 63%. Approximately 70% of ACL injuries occur without contact, with one of the most frequent causes being dynamic knee valgus which can result in high abduction (valgus) loads during landing after a jump. Dynamic knee valgus describes the fr…