EFFECTS OF HIGH- AND LOW-CUT FOOTWEAR ON THE KINETICS AND 3D KINEMATICS OF BASKETBALL SPECIFIC MOTIONS

The aim of the current investigation was to examine the effects of high- and low-cut basketball-specific footwear, in relation to minimalist and conventional athletic footwear, on the kinetics and three-dimensional (3D) kinematics of sport-specific basketball movements. Ten males performed run and 45[Formula: see text] cut movements, whilst wearing low-cut, high-cut, minimalist and conventional athletic footwear. 3D kinematics of the lower extremities were measured using an eight-camera motion analysis system, alongside the vertical rate of loading, which was obtained using an embedded force platform. Footwear differences in 3D kinematic and loading rate parameters were examined using 4 (footwear) [Formula: see text] (movement), repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed that loading rate was significantly larger in the minimalist footwear ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]BW/s), in relation to the low-cut ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]BW/s), high-cut ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]BW/s) and conventional ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]BW/s) conditions. In addition, it was also revealed during the run movement that peak angles of eversion were reduced significantly when wearing the high-cut ([Formula: see text]) footwear, compared to the low-cut [Formula: see text], minimalist [Formula: see text] and conventional [Formula: see text] conditions. The findings from the current investigation indicate that from an injury prevention context, conventional athletic footwear may be most appropriate for basketball players who are susceptible to chronic impact-related injuries, and high-cut footwear may be most suitable for players who require additional medial/lateral ankle stability.

EFFECTS OF FOOTWEAR VARIATIONS ON THREE-DIMENSIONAL KINEMATICS AND TIBIAL ACCELERATIONS OF SPECIFIC MOVEMENTS IN AMERICAN FOOTBALL

American football is associated with a high rate of non-contact chronic injuries. Players are able to select from both high and low cut footwear. The aim of the current investigation was to examine the influence of high and low cut American football specific footwear on tibial accelerations and three-dimensional (3D) kinematics during three sport specific movements. Twelve male American football players performed three movements, run, cut and vertical jump whilst wearing both low and high cut footwear. 3D kinematics of the lower extremities were measured using an eight-camera motion analysis system alongside tibial acceleration parameters which were obtained using a shank mounted accelerometer. Tibial acceleration and 3D kinematic differences between the different footwear were examined using either repeated measures or Friedman’s ANOVA. Tibial accelerations were significantly greater in the low cut footwear in comparison to the high cut footwear for the run and cut movements. In addition, peak ankle eversion and tibial internal rotation parameters were shown to be significantly greater in the low cut footwear in the running and cutting movement conditions. The current study indicates that the utilization of low cut American football footwear for training/performance may place American footballers at increased risk from chronic injuries.

Effects of Court Specific and Minimalist Footwear on the Biomechanics of a Maximal 180° Cutting Manoeuvre

Purpose. The aim of the current investigation was to examine the effects of different footwear on the kinetics and kinematics of performing a 180° cutting manoeuvre.

Methods. Nine male participants performed maximal 180° cut movements in court shoes, minimalist footwear, energy return, and conventional running shoes. Lower limb kinematic data were collected with the use of an 8 camera motion capture system, ground reaction forces were quantified with an embedded force platform, and tibial accelerations were obtained by means of an accelerometer. Differences in kinetics and kinematics between footwear were examined by one-way repeated measures ANOVA.

Results. The results showed that both instantaneous loading rate and peak tibial acceleration were significantly larger in the minimalist (282.91 BW/s and 6.38 g) and court (326.67 BW/s and 6.35 g) footwear compared with the conventional (143.19 BW/s and 5.46 g) and energy return (106.14 BW/s and 4.98 g) footwear. In addition, peak inversion was revealed to be significantly larger in the minimalist (16.36°) than in conventional (11.86°), court (12.61°), and energy return (10.12°) footwear.

Conclusions. These findings indicate that minimalist and court footwear may place athletes at increased risk from injury when performing 180° cut movements.

The Effects of Barefoot and Barefoot Inspired Footwear Running on Tibiofemoral Kinetics

The current investigation aimed to examine the effects of running barefoot and in conventional and barefoot inspired footwear on the loads borne by the tibiofemoral joint.

Fifteen male participants ran at 4.0 m/s over a force platform whilst running barefoot, in barefoot inspired footwear and also in conventional footwear. Lower body kinematics were collected using an eight-camera motion capture system. Peak tibiofemoral force, peak tibiofemoral stress, and tibiofemoral load rate were extracted and compared between footwear via one-way repeated measures ANOVA.

The results showed that the tibiofemoral instantaneous load rate was significantly lower in conventional footwear (106.63 BW/s) in comparison with barefoot running (173.87 BW/s), Vibram Five Fingers (160.17 BW/s), Merrell (155.32 BW/s), Inov-8 (167.79 BW/s), and Nike Free (144.72 BW/s).

This indicates that running barefoot and in barefoot inspired footwear may place runners at increased risk from running-related tibiofemoral pathologies.

The Test-retest Reliability of Knee Joint Center Location Techniques

The principal source of measurement error in three-dimensional analyses is the definition of the joint center about which segmental rotations occur. The hip joint has received considerable attention in three-dimensional modeling analyses yet the reliability of the different techniques for the definition of the knee joint center has yet to be established. This study investigated the reliability of five different knee joint center estimation techniques: femoral epicondyle, femoral condyle, tibial ridge, plugin-gait, and functional. Twelve male participants walked at 1.25 m·s−1and three-dimensional kinetics/kinematics of the knee and ankle were collected. The knee joint center was defined twice using each technique (test-and-retest) and the joint kinetic/kinematic data were applied to both. Wilcoxon rank tests and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to compare test and retest angular parameters and kinematic waveforms. The results show significant differences in coronal and transverse planes angulation using the tibial ridge, plug-in-gait, and functional methods. The strongest test-retest ICCs were observed for the femoral epicondyle and femoral condyle configurations. The findings from the current investigation advocate that the femoral epicondyle and femoral condyle techniques for the estimation of the knee joint center are currently the most reliable techniques.