The shock attenuation role of the ankle during landing from a vertical jump

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Abstract
Ccelerometers (medial calcaneus and distal anterio-medial tibia), a piezoelectric force platform, and high speed cinematography recorded the landing. Accelerometer signal distortion was corrected through the application of a linear spring/damper model of the accelerometer attachment. The model indicated that raw acceleration data were overestimated 68% at the calcaneal attachment and 8% at the tibial attachment. Peak corrected acceleration at metatarsal contact varied little across landing surfaces, and, across surfaces, mean (SD) peak accelerations of 20.8 (9.3) and 14.3 (3.6) g“s were recorded at the calcaneus and tibia, respectively. Peak vertical force and ankle joint motion varied little across the surfaces, suggesting that the entrenched kinematics of landing surpassed the introduced range of surface cushioning. Separation of the data by post-metatarsal contact landing style indicated that seven subjects landed with heel contact, with the remaining four attenuating the impact without heel contact. By avoiding the transient associated with the cessation of downward heel motion, the nonheel contact landers effectively reduced exposure to transients by nearly 50%. ©1988The American College of Sports Medicine...