Abstract
The knee is a common area where injuries occur in athletic populations. Leppänen et al. (2016) reports most common occurrence of knee injuries occur during non-contact events. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between drop vertical jump performance variables and knee injury risk factors. METHODS: Participants were from Division I collegiate sports; football (n = 522), soccer (n = 93), volleyball (n = 35), softball (n = 44), track and field (n = 77), cross country (n = 11), golf (n = 20), and basketball (n = 67). Using DARI ® markerless motion capture athletes performed a drop vertical jump. A Pearson r correlation compared knee injury risk factors (left and right knee dynamic valgus, left and right knee eccentric flexion) and drop vertical jump performance variables (jump height percentage of lower body, net impulse, ground reaction force, and left and right knee flexion at peak torque). RESULTS: Jump height percentage of lower body was not correlated to right knee dynamic valgus (r = 0.07, p = .028), left knee dynamic valgus (r = -0.09, p = .008). Jump height percentage of lower body had a low, positive correlation with both left knee eccentric flexion (r = .021, p = r = 0.18, p = r = -0.04, p = .195), and both left eccentric knee flexion (r = 0.03, p = .374) and right eccentric knee flexion (r = 0.02, p = .572). Net impulse had a low, negative correlation with left knee dynamic valgus (r = -0.18, p = r = -0.01, p = .873). Ground reaction force had a low, negative correlation with left knee dynamic valgus (r = -0.12, p = r = -0.3, p = r = -0.32, p = r = -0.03, p = .329). Left knee flexion at peak torque had a low, negative correlation with left dynamic knee valgus (r = -0.16, p = <.001). CONCLUSION: There were a wide range of results, where some had a low negative or low positive correlation, one had a medium negative correlation, some had a high positive correlation, and some showed no correlation. Ground reaction force had negative correlations with both right and left knee eccentric flexion, as well as with left knee dynamic valgus. Researchers concluded that this decreased knee flexion, coupled with decreased valgus movement under higher force factors, is a protective mechanism against instability, e.g. decreases in knee injury risk factors.
Recommended Citation
Martinez, Cheyenne; Byun, Chaehyun; Tousant, Marshall; Jones, Brian; Bakcha, Ouays; Kramarenko, Veronika; McClain, Joseph; Bernhardt, Vipa; and Oldham, Michael D.
(2025)
"The Relationship Between Drop Vertical Jump Performance Variables and Knee Injury Risk Factors,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2:
Iss.
17, Article 13.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss17/13
