Movement assessment is the practice of analysing movement performance during functional tasks to determine the kinematics of individual

joints A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

and their effect on the kinetic chain. Three-dimensional or two-dimensional

analysis Analysis ( : analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (3 ...

of the

biomechanics Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to organs, cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics is a branch of ...

involved in sporting tasks can assist in prevention of injury and enhancing athletic performance. Identification of abnormal movement mechanics provides

physical therapists Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...

and

Athletic trainers Athletic may refer to: * An athlete, a sportsperson * Athletic director, a position at many American universities and schools * Athletic type, a physical/psychological type in the classification of Ernst Kretschmer * Athletic of Philadelphia, a b ...

the ability to prescribe more accurate corrective exercise programs to prevent injury and improve exercise rehabilitation and progression following injury and assist in determining readiness to return to sport.

Landing Error Scoring System (LESS)

The LESS is a valid and reliable tool for the biomechanical assessment of the jump landing technique. The LESS involves the scoring of 22 biomechanical criteria of the

lower extremity The human leg, in the general word sense, is the entire lower limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or gluteal region. However, the definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower lim ...

and trunk, with the outcomes being associated with the risk of

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

(ACL) and

patellofemoral Patellofemoral (sometimes femoropatellar) refers to relations between the patella and the femur, such as: *Knee, including the "Patellofemoral joint" *Patellofemoral pain syndrome *Medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), ...

injury. LESS scoring is split into the following categories: excellent (0-3); good (4-5); moderate (6-7); and poor (>7). Identification of biomechanical abnormalities in landing technique, the effect of fatigue and differences between gender allow for more precise clinical

exercise intervention Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athleti ...

to reduce the risk of injury.

Unsupported single leg squat

The single leg squat is an exercise that was developed into a functional test by Liebenson to examine the

of the

, assess hip muscle dysfunction and provide an indication of mechanics during daily functional tasks. The test requires the person to stand on the limb being tested, with the non-weight bearing limb in about 45° of

hip flexion A flexor is a muscle that flexes a joint. In anatomy, flexion (from the Latin verb ''flectere'', to bend) is a joint movement that decreases the angle between the bones that converge at the joint. For example, one’s elbow joint flexes when one ...

and about 90° of knee flexion. The person's arms should be in 90° of

shoulder flexion Anatomical terminology is a form of scientific terminology used by anatomists, zoologists, and health professionals such as doctors. Anatomical terminology uses many unique terms, suffixes, and prefixes deriving from Ancient Greek and Latin. ...

and full

elbow extension The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...

. The athlete is required to squat down to at least 60° of knee flexion and return to the start position within 6 seconds.

Single Leg Hop for Distance

Single leg hop tests are commonly used to assess functional knee performance by assessing limb symmetry after an

injury or following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The hop tests mainly used are: the single leg hop for distance; crossover hop test; triple hop test; 6m timed hop test; square hop test and side-to-side hop test. The limb symmetry is assessed by means of the limb symmetry index (LSI). Normal values for

return to play Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

criteria following

ACL reconstruction Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL reconstruction) is a surgical tissue graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament, located in the knee, to restore its function after an injury. The torn ligament can either be removed fr ...

indicate that the injured limb should be greater than or equal to 90% of the uninjured limb.Thomee R, Kaplan Y, Kvist J, Myklebust G, Risberg MA, Theisen D, et al. "Muscle strength and hop performance criteria prior to return to sports after ACL reconstruction. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthoscopy: Official Journal of the ESSKA. 2011;19(11):798-805.

References

{{Reflist Biomechanics Physical exercise Sports science