Information about a piece of news titled Technique explains knee loading in sidestep cutting
Technique explains knee loading in sidestep cutting
Intoduction
After studying the sidestep cutting technique of Norway’s best female handball players, OSTRC researchers identified the safest sidestep cutting technique: Land on your toes, use a knee-over-toe position and perform narrow cuts!
A high proportion of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur during sidestep cutting, and technique training is already part of effective prevention programs.
To improve prevention of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, OSTRC researchers wanted to identify the sidestep cutting technique that resulted in the lowest knee abduction moment.
Knee abduction moments, or valgus moments, may increase the risk of ACL injuries, and training of techniques that reduce knee abduction moments is likely beneficial for ACL injury risk.
In a new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, medical doctor and PhD student Eirik Kristianslund studied the sidestep cutting technique of 123 elite female elite handball players in a motion analysis lab, together with co-workers Tron Krosshaug, Oliver Faul, Roald Bahr, and Grethe Myklebust.
They described sidestep cutting technique by 12 factors, including knee valgus, toe landing, approach speed and cut width.
Technique explains 2/3 of maximum knee abduction moments
Sidestep cutting technique explained 62% of the variance in knee abduction moments.
– Athletes that performed sidestep cuts with high knee valgus, heel landing and wide stance had higher knee abduction moments, tells Kristianslund.
– This confirms that toe landings, knee-over-toes position and narrow cuts are important strategies to reduce the knee loading related to ACL injuries.
The authors also found higher knee abduction moments with higher approach speed and cutting angles. However, they consider it irrelevant to target these factors in preventive training, as they affect the sports performance.
Explains effect of prevention exercises
Prevention programs to reduce ACL injury incidence already focus on these aspects of sidestep cutting technique, and the study confirms that they are related to lower knee abduction moments.
Preventive technique training should continue to emphasize toe landings, a knee-over-toe position and narrow cuts.
Read the paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine
ACL prevention program (in Norwegian)