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Original Research

Open Access Special Issue

The alterations of leg joint angular displacements and muscle co-contraction at landing following various aerial catching movements

  • Ting Wang1
  • Penglei Fan2
  • Shuai Wang3
  • Youngsuk Kim3,*,
  • Sukwon Kim3,*,

1Institute of Student Physical Health Promotion, Jingchu University of Technology, 448000 Jingmen, Hubei, China

2College of Education and Sports Sciences, Yangtze University, 434023 Jingzhou, Hubei, China

3Department of Physical Education, Jeonbuk National University, 54896 Jeonju, Republic of Korea

DOI: 10.22514/jomh.2025.095 Vol.21,Issue 7,July 2025 pp.47-55

Submitted: 25 April 2025 Accepted: 26 May 2025

Published: 30 July 2025

*Corresponding Author(s): Youngsuk Kim E-mail: ys43530@jbnu.ac.kr
*Corresponding Author(s): Sukwon Kim E-mail: rockwall@jbnu.ac.kr

Abstract

Background: Jump-landing is a major cause of lower limb injuries. This study investigated the effect of various aerial catching movements on the co-contraction index (CCI) of the knee and ankle muscles, as well as on joint angular displacements and joint moments during landing. Methods: Fifteen right-hand dominant collegiate basketball players (age: 21.0 ± 1.2 years; weight: 79.9 ± 7.9 kg; height: 180.9 ± 5.5 cm; training experience, 5.6 ± 3.5 years) performed maximal countermovement jumps under four conditions: no catching (NC), right (RULC), left (LULC) and bilateral (BULC) upper-limb catching. Electromyography of the rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and tibialis anterior (TA), along with kinematic and kinetic data, were recorded during landing. The co-contraction index (CCI) of knee and ankle muscles before and after landing, as well as angular displacements and peak joint moments were calculated. Results: When compared to the NC condition, all aerial catching movements resulted in reduced knee flexion (RULC, p = 0.004, d = −1.11; LULC, p < 0.001, d = −1.52; BULC, p = 0.013, d = −0.97) and increased ankle dorsiflexion (RULC, p = 0.002, d = −1.21; LULC, p = 0.004, d = −1.13; BULC, p < 0.001, d = −1.50) angular displacement after landing, along with significantly higher CCI of RF-BF (RULC, p = 0.018, d = 0.93; LULC, p = 0.033, d = 0.85; BULC, p = 0.042, d = 0.81) and LG-TA (RULC, p = 0.025, d = 0.88; LULC, p = 0.004, d = 1.12; BULC, p = 0.015, d = 0.95) before landing, the LULC condition led to greater knee abduction angular displacement (p = 0.002, d = 1.19) and moment (p = 0.001, d = 1.26), and lower RF-BF CCI after landing (p = 0.037, d = 0.83). Aerial catching movements increased lower limb muscle co-contraction before landing and led to greater knee stiffness after landing. However, LULC reduced knee co-contraction and increased frontal plane knee motion after landing, indicating decreased joint stability and higher injury risk. Conclusions: Injury prevention programs should incorporate upper limb coordination and perturbation training—especially for the left arm—to enhance motor control and joint stability during sport-specific tasks.


Keywords

Electromyography; Lower limb injuries; Biomechanics; Anterior cruciate ligament


Cite and Share

Ting Wang,Penglei Fan,Shuai Wang,Youngsuk Kim,Sukwon Kim. The alterations of leg joint angular displacements and muscle co-contraction at landing following various aerial catching movements. Journal of Men's Health. 2025. 21(7);47-55.

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