Effects of Increased Shoe Collar Height and Limb Dominance on Landing Knee Biomechanics in Collegiate Volleyball Players

<p>Athletic footwear with higher collar heights are worn to restrict ankle motion. Reduced ankle dorsiflexion has been associated with increased frontal plane knee motion. Volleyball players wear mid-cut shoes (MC) that have an increased collar height rising slightly superior to the talocrural joint and malleoli. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of MC and limb dominance on knee landing mechanics. It was hypothesized that participants would land with greater initial contact (IC) and peak frontal joint plane angles and moments and smaller IC and peak sagittal plane joint angles and moments at the knee in MC and dominant limb compared to low-top shoes (LT) and the non-dominant limb. We also hypothesized that vertical and posterior directed ground reaction forces (GRF) would be greater while wearing MC, yet the same between limbs. Seventeen female collegiate volleyball players performed unilateral forward drop landings on each limb in MC and LT styles of a volleyball shoe (Crazyflight, Adidas AG, Herzogenaurach, Germany). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant interactions for internal peak knee flexion moment and peak lateral GRF. There was a shoe effect for peak dorsiflexion angle, peak plantarflexion moment, and peak medial GRF. A limb effect was found for peak knee abduction moment. The MC shoes did not increase knee frontal plane loading, but greater knee abduction moments were observed in the dominant limb. This suggests improving landing mechanics on the dominant limb may reduce knee injury risk while playing volleyball, regardless of LT or MC.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Legg, Lindsey

Contributors dc:contributor

• Tanner Thorsen
• Scott Piland
• Paul Donahue

• Landing
• biomechanics
• volleyball
• knee

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/950

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-2023