Abstract
Patellar tendinopathy is a chronic overuse injury of the patellar tendon which is prevalent in jump-landing activities. Sports activities can require jumping not only with a vertical component but also in a forward direction. It is yet unknown how jumping in the forward direction may affect patellar tendon forces. The main purpose of this study was to compare PTF between landings preceded by a vertical jump and a forward jump in volleyball players. The second purpose was to compare two different estimation methods of the patellar tendon force. Fifteen male volleyball players performed vertical and forward jump-landing tasks at a controlled jump height, while kinetics and kinematics were recorded. Patellar tendon forces were calculated through two estimation methods based on inverse dynamic and static optimization procedures, using a musculoskeletal model. Results showed that forward jump-landing generated higher patellar tendon forces compared to vertical jump-landing for both estimation methods. Surprisingly, although the static optimization method considered muscle co-contraction, the inverse kinematic method provided statistically significant higher patellar tendon force values. These findings highlight that limiting the forward velocity component of the aerial phase appears to reduce the load on the patellar tendon during landing and may help to prevent patellar tendinopathy.
Highlights
Patellar tendinopathy, known as “jumper’s knee”, is a chronic overuse injury of the patellar tendon which is characterized by activity-related anterior knee pain [1]
The two-way ANOVA revealed that participants experienced higher patellar tendon force (PTF) peaks (p < 0.001) and higher PTF loading rates (p < 0.001) during the FJL compared to the vertical jump-landing (VJL) (Figure 2)
The inverse dynamic method estimated statistically significant higher PTF peaks compared to the static optimization method (Figure 2)
Summary
Known as “jumper’s knee”, is a chronic overuse injury of the patellar tendon which is characterized by activity-related anterior knee pain [1]. The development of patellar tendinopathy is believed to result from the combination of mechanical overload applied to the tendon and the repetition of this load [2]. This explains its prevalence in sports involving repeated jumping and landing [3]. The prevalence of patellar tendinopathy is 44.6% in elite volleyball players and 31.9% in elite basketball players [3]. Prevention of patellar tendinopathy is important as this injury causes long-lasting symptoms that can lead to the end of a sports career [4]
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