Dancers with patellar tendinopathy exhibit higher vertical and braking ground reaction forces during landing

Abstract

Dancers are exposed to the effects of repetitive jumping and leaping as are other athletes that tend to develop patellar tendinopathy. Greater vertical ground reaction forces occur during landing from a dance leap than during takeoff and during other common athletic activities. The purposes of this study were: (1) to compare the landing ground reaction force profiles of participants with and without clinically diagnosed patellar tendinopathy, and (2) to determine the strength of the relationship between landing angle, and braking impulse. Eighteen elite pre-professional dancers (12 healthy, 6 with patellar tendinopathy; both groups 50% male) performed sauts de chat for kinetic and kinematic analysis. Dancers with patellar tendinopathy demonstrated greater peak vertical ground reaction force and impulse (36% and 15% greater, respectively). Dancers with patellar tendinopathy demonstrated greater peak braking ground reaction force and impulse (82% and 126% greater, respectively). Landing angle explained 67% of the braking impulse. Dancers with patellar tendinopathy exhibited greater vertical and braking impulses than healthy dancers. Braking impulse was strongly correlated with landing angle. While there was no difference between groups in landing angle, dancers with patellar tendinopathy exhibited greater braking impulse than their non-tendinopathic counterparts, even at similar landing angles.