Relationship Between Neurocognition Level and Neuromuscular Strategy During Landing in Female Recreational Athletes

Abstract

If judgment errors regarding ground conditions or fall height occur in the feedforward control process, players can be exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal injury to the lower extremity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of neurocognition level on neuromuscular strategy during landing in female recreational soccer players. Ten female recreational soccer players (age: 21.2 ± 3.4 years, height: 163.8 ± 3.8 cm, body mass: 57.0 ± 8.3 kg) participated in this study. Neurocognition levels were analyzed using the Central Nervous System Vital Signs test, and the muscle activation patterns, angles of the agonist lower extremity, and vertical ground reaction force were analyzed. A Pearson correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between neurocognition and neuromuscular landing strategy. The results indicate that the neurocognition level correlates with muscle activation and kinematics of the lower extremity. We found a clear correlation between neurocognition scores and integral muscle activation as well as the kinematics of the lower extremity. Moreover, we found that higher neurocognition scores corresponded to an improved neuromuscular landing strategy in regard to deceleration, increased knee stability, and improved shock absorption during landing.