Abstract
The literature on the relation between jump biomechanics and jumper’s knee indicates
that a jump with horizontal displacement poses a threat for developing jumper’s knee.
Subjects with jumper’s knee have been shown to display a stiff landing pattern characterized
by a small range of motion. However, up to now only cross-sectional studies have been
conducted. 6 teams from sports involving repetitive landing were followed prospectively
for 2 years. At baseline athletes performed the Landing Error Scoring System jump
and 3D kinematics and kinetics were obtained. A comparison was made between subjects
who developed jumper’s knee and those who did not develop it. 3 subjects developed
jumper’s knee during the study. Leg stiffness during landing was high compared to
the mean of the healthy controls. No common kinematic patterns could be identified
in these 3 subjects. The results suggest that athletes with high leg stiffness during
landing might have an increased risk for developing jumper’s knee, yet this conclusion
is based on a very small sample. Subjects who develop jumper’s knee do not show a
common landing technique. Further research is needed to investigate whether leg stiffness
can be used to identify athletes at risk and as a target variable to be used in prevention.
Key words
athletic injury - jump-landing - patellar - leg stiffness - tendinopathy
