Central vs. Peripheral Vision during a Singe-Leg Drop Jump: Implications of Dynamics and Patellofemoral Joint Stress

Junyoung Ko,Hoon Kim,Sae Yong Lee,Kyeongtak Song,Jihong Park

doi:10.3390/app12052599

Junyoung Ko, Hoon Kim + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052599

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Abstract

Landing on a single-leg without receiving direct visual information (e.g., not looking at the ground) may increase the risk of injury. We examined whether visual focus contributed to the changing lower-extremity dynamics and patellofemoral joint stress during a single-leg drop jump task. Twenty healthy volunteers visited the laboratory for three separate sessions. During each session, participants randomly performed either of two types of a single-leg drop jump task from a 30 cm high wooden box. Subsequently, participants looked at the landing spot (central vision condition) or kept their heads up (peripheral vision condition) when performing the task. Sagittal and frontal plane lower-extremity joint angles and joint moments (in the ankle, knee, and hip), including the vertical ground reaction force, and patellofemoral joint stress during the first landing phase (from initial contact to peak knee flexion) were compared. Greater ankle inversion and hip adduction were observed when landing with the peripheral vision condition. However, the magnitudes were negligeable (Cohen’s d effect size <0.35). No statistical difference was observed in other comparisons. Landing on a single-leg from a 30 cm height without receiving full visual attention (peripheral vision condition) does not increase the risk of lower-extremity traumatic and overuse injuries.

Highlights

A study [23] exists that reported single-leg landing; this study reported joint kinematics at time points of 100 ms before landing and at initial contact
Our hypothesis that no difference would be observed in movement dynamics and patellofemoral joint stress (PFJS) was mostly supported, which agreed with the results of previous reports in which visual input was manipulated
Landing while receiving less visual information showed no difference in vertical ground reaction forces (GRF) and preparatory muscle activity [18] during a double-leg landing compared with landing conditions that received full visual information

Summary

Introduction

Landing on a single-leg is a common cause of lower-extremity injuries [1,2]. kinematic and kinetic variables during a single-leg-landing task are proposed to increase the risk of traumatic [2–5] and overuse (e.g., repetitive trauma) [6,7] injuries. As the largest contributor to feedback control [17], the visual system gives us important information for processing images (e.g., spatial awareness, depth, and motion perception, light, and color), especially on multi-joint movements involving impact forces such as a single-leg landing. A deficit of direct visual information during landings (e.g., not looking at the landing spot by blocking vision or looking ahead) can alter their normal movement patterns in the lower-extremity [18]. These neuromechanical alterations, due to limited visual input, can be associated with factors that are proposed to increase the risk of injury [19]

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