Mechanical Factors Can Influence the Gender Differences in the Incidence of Non-Contact Injuries

The kinematics and kinetics of running to a stop and running and cutting were analyzed in the context of identifying mechanisms for non-contact injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee. The study addressed the hypothesis that gender influences the mechanics of the way individuals perform running to a cut and running to a stop. The results demonstrate a difference during the early landing phase of the maneuver. Two patterns of limb loading were identified during the landing phase (foot strike to 200msec) of the run to cut maneuver. The results of this study suggest a potential injury mechanism associated with the biomechanics of landing in preparation for a run to stop or run to cut maneuver. Nine of ten male subjects in this population tended to land in a manner that produced a greater magnitude of the force component along the axis of the tibia. These findings provide new information that can be applied towards understanding gender difference patterns in non-contact ACL injuries.