Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr 1;14(1):544-551.
doi: 10.70252/WWCY9956. eCollection 2021.

Lower Limb Force Asymmetries During Landing and Jumping Exercises: A Pilot Study

Simon M Cone  1 , Sangwoo Lee  1
Affiliations

Lower Limb Force Asymmetries During Landing and Jumping Exercises: A Pilot Study

Simon M Cone et al. Int J Exerc Sci. .

Abstract

Significant asymmetries can exist between the lower limbs' force production during the take-off phase of bilateral jumping exercises. Some studies have indicated that similar asymmetries can also exist during the landing phase. It has not been demonstrated if the magnitude of lower body asymmetry was similar between the landing (L) and take-off (TO) phases of bilateral jumping movements. The main purpose of this study was to compare the asymmetry measured during the L and TO phases of bilateral jumping exercises to determine if there was a difference in asymmetry between the phases. In order to quantify the degree of the asymmetry, the vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) produced by each leg was measured during execution of vertical-jump (VJ) and drop-jump (DJ) exercises. Eleven recreationally trained individuals completed three VJ and DJ trials while two force plates recorded vGRF. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare the asymmetry levels with the phase (within- subject: L and TO) and the exercise (within- subject: VJ and DJ) being factors. A significant difference in the asymmetry was found between the L and TO phases (p < .05). These findings suggested that there was greater asymmetry in the distribution of vGRF during landing than during take-off.

Keywords: Force plates; landing asymmetry; plyometrics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A sample of vGRF extraction for landing (L) and take-off (TO) and phases during vertical jump.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The results of (a) asymmetry index (AI) and (b) peak vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) for the take-off (TO) and landing (L) phases of vertical jump (VJ) and drop jump (DJ). *Represents that the L phase showed significantly greater AI and vGRF than the TO phase.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ebben WP, Fauth ML, Garceau LR, Petushek EJ. Kinetic quantification of plyometric exercise intensity. J Strength Cond Res. 2011;25(12):3288–3298. - PubMed
    1. Flanagan SP, Salem GJ. Bilateral differences in the net joint torques during the squat exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2007;21(4):1220–1226. - PubMed
    1. Fort-Vanmeerhaeghe A, Gual G, Romero-Rodriguez D, Unnitha V. Lower limb neuromuscular asymmetry in volleyball and basketball players. J Hum Kinet. 2016;50(1):135–143. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ford KR, Myer GD, Hewett TE. Valgus knee motion during landing in high school female and male basketball players. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003;35(10):1745–1750. - PubMed
    1. Fousekis K, Tsepis E, Vagenas G. Lower limb strength in professional soccer players: profile, asymmetry, and training age. J Sport Sci Med. 2010;9(3):364–373. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources