GREATER FEAR OF REINJURY IS RELATED TO STIFFENED JUMP-LANDING BIOMECHANICS AND MUSCLE ACTIVATION IN WOMEN AFTER ACL RECONSTRUCTION

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Fear of re-injury has previously been associated with lower rates of return to sport, impaired objective measures and increased risk of re-injury. A qualitative assessment for fear of re-injury has previously been studied alongside perceived ability to perform, but this paper looked to correlate patients’ perception of fear with kinematic objective data. Using the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia-11 and the biomechanics involved in preparation and landing phases of a jump-land task, it was hypothesised that those with greater fear of injury would demonstrate increased frontal plane movements, decreased sagittal plane movements and increased quadricep activation.

METHODS

35 female recreational athletes, 2 years post ACL reconstruction, were asked to complete a questionnaire (TSK-11) to evaluate “fear of injury” alongside a measure of jumping and landing. Using 3D motion analysis, EMG and force plate data, the participants performed 5 trials to create biomechanical profiles which were then assessed for statistical significance and correlation against fear of injury.

RESULTS

Fear has a significant, negative relationship on trunk, hip and knee flexion angles, meaning that fearful participants tend to land with low degrees of flexion in what could be considered a “stiff” landing mechanism. There was also a positive relationship

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