Is it safe to use sand surface during rehab when training basic skills in early stages? How sand surface and inertial sensor position affect Drop Jump landing's G-forces and it's application in injury recovery

Abstract

In sports, the use of sand surface as a tool in the injury recovery process has received very good acceptance and an increased attention in recent years. Unfortunately, the number of studies in this area continues being scarce. Therefore, this study analyzes the existence of possible differences in the magnitude of the impact generated during a 45 cm Drop Jump (DJ), depending on the body area analyzed, the contact surface (sand or grass) and the height (thoracic spine and ankle) at which a jump is placed. To that purpose, 6 participants were analyzed by wearing 3 IMU sensors (WIMU PRO™) to measure G foreces in the landing phase of the DJ. The results suggest the existence of statistically significant differences when comparing surfaces (sand vs. grass), body area (ankle and lumbar) and location of device placement (thoracic area vs. ankle).