The Use of Hip Positions to Predict Bilateral Force Asymmetries in NCAA Athletes with ACL Injuries

Albrandt, Elizabeth

Publication

The Use of Hip Positions to Predict Bilateral Force Asymmetries in NCAA Athletes with ACL Injuries

Albrandt, Elizabeth

Description

Among college athletes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, one of the most common critical injuries sustained are anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries (Kay, Register-Mihalik, Gray, Djoko, Dompier, & Kerr, 2017). Reinjury to the ACL is also a common (Hughes, Musco, Caine, & Howe, 2020). It is thought that force asymmetries in the lower limbs increases the risk for reinjury (Sharafoddin-Shirazi, Letafatkar, Hogg, & Saatchian, 2020). However, in most traditional rehabilitation settings, force plates may not be available to measure force asymmetries. Therefore, an easier, more cost-effective way to determine whether force asymmetries exist is necessary. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship between medial-lateral hip and shoulder movements and kinetic asymmetries exists in NCAA athletes who have undergone ACL reconstruction. Therefore, hip and shoulder movements can be recorded and viewed to predict if a force asymmetry exists. Subjects in this study included twelve NCAA athletes who had ACL reconstruction surgery within six months of initial testing. Subjects performed a squatting task on force plates while wearing retroreflective markers twice, with the first time being within 6 months of the surgery and the second between 6-12 months following surgery. The data from the force plates and the retroreflective markers were analyzed and it was found that there is a relationship between vertical ground reaction force and the hip position. With this knowledge, clinicians in rehabilitation settings will be able to look at hip position of their ACL patients to determine if force asymmetries exist.