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Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Poster
Degree Type
Graduate
Department
Kinesiology & Recreation
Mentor
Dr. Hayley Ericksen
Mentor Department
Kinesiology & Recreation
Co-Mentor
Chelsea Kuehner-Boyer, Justin Stanek
Co-Mentor Department
Kinesiology & Recreation
Abstract
Context: Non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in females participating in athletics. Volleyball’s unpredictable movements of cutting, planting, single-leg landing (SLL) instead of double-leg landing (DLL), trunk position and mid-air twisting can increase risk of ACL injury. Clinical questions: which type of landing technique and/or trunk variation could place volleyball athletes at increased risk of ACL injury? Methods: The following keywords were used to search in November 2024: volleyball, landing, and ACL. Studies published between 2014-2024, in English, investigating kinematic and kinetic variables associated with ACL injury risk in jump-landings during a volleyball task were included. Studies were excluded if they studied populations over 17 years old, and did not include SLL, DLL, or trunk rotation during landings. The outcome variables of interest included: vertical ground reaction force and trunk, hip, knee and ankle biomechanics during a volleyball jump-landing task. Three total crossover studies (Zinger et al. (90%), Xu et al. (68%), Zahradnik et al. (86%)) were included and appraised with Strength of Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). Results: Zinger, et al. found DLL to be a safer landing style compared to SLL because of the increase in hip and knee flexion and ankle plantarflexion in volleyball athletes. Xu, et al. found when volleyball athletes perform SLL they presented with smaller flexion angles of the knee and hip, increased joint moment, and increased vGRF. Zahradnik, et al. found the associated risk factors of non-contact ACL injury appeared to be related to the tilt of the arms and accompanying trunk tilt during blocking tasks. Trunk tilt led to decreased knee flexion, increased vGRF, and led the trunk towards the right lower limb. Conclusion: The studies included in this review found a landing technique that includes SLL, decreased ankle plantarflexion, knee and hip flexion angles, and a trunk tilt could place volleyball athletes at an increased risk of ACL injury. ATs should evaluate volleyball athletes’ jump-landing to identify high-risk landing patterns and work with coaches in training athletes to DLL and swing block with proper form. ATs should work with strength and conditioning coaches to implement balance/stabilization exercises so that if a SLL is unavoidable, the risk of knee injury can be minimized. Regardless of the play, volleyball athletes should prioritize landing with a straight trunk and a higher knee flexion angle to minimize the risk of SLLs which in turn could increase the risk of ACL injury.
Recommended Citation
Larson, Alivia; Kuehner-Boyer, Chelsea; Stanek, Justin; and Ericksen, Hayley, "Landing Techniques and Risk Factors for ACL Injury in Volleyball: A Critically Appraised Topic" (2025). University Research Symposium. 471.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/rsp_urs/471
