Field hockey sport-specific postures during unanticipated sidestepping: Implications for anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention. Issue 22 (16th November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Smith, Marc; Weir, Gillian; Donnelly, Cyril J.; Alderson, Jacqueline
• Is Part Of: Journal of sports sciences. Volume 38:Issue 22(2020)
• Page Start: 2603
• Page End: 2610
• Publication Date: 2020-11-16
• Subjects: Female -- athletes -- knee -- injury assessment -- screening; Sports -- Periodicals; Sports -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Sports -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 612.044
• DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1794264
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-0414

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Much research has investigated whole-body postures and associated knee joint loading during unanticipated sidestepping (UnSS). However, no research has considered sport-specific postures in field hockey. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in trunk and lower limb angle and lower extremity joint moment waveforms during UnSS while holding a hockey stick in a flexed posture (HS-UnSS) and traditional UnSS. Additionally, we aimed to determine if differences in posture during HS-UnSS were associated with changes in knee joint moments. Twelve elite female field hockey athletes underwent 3D motion analysis during UnSS and HS-UnSS. Athletes increased trunk (0–100% of stance phase, hip (0–15%), knee (12–29%; 39–59%; 78–100%) and ankle (41–57%) flexion angles, and increased hip flexion (19–24%; 42–45%; 75–84%) and external rotation moments (75–80%) during HS-UnSS compared with UnSS ( p < 0.05). Flexed postures observed during HS-UnSS did not influence knee flexion and valgus moments when compared with UnSS ( p > 0.05), however knee external rotation moments reduced. Changes in trunk flexion were positively associated with peak knee internal rotation moments from UnSS to HS-UnSS (r = 0.779, p = 0.005). These findings indicate that field hockey players sidestep with significantly different techniques when holding a hockey stick, which should be considered in injury prevention training protocols.