COMBINED EFFECTS OF FATIGUE AND ANTICIPATION ON LANDING MECHANICS: CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACL INJURY RISK

INTRODUCTION Despite the ongoing evolution of training methods geared towards preventing ACL injuries, injury rates and the associated sex-disparity in these rates have not diminished. We therefore contend that current strategies continue to exclude key components of the injury mechanism and in particular those synonymous with the inherently random nature of sports participation. Neuromuscular fatigue and unanticipated movement tasks have both been shown in isolation to induce significant and potentially hazardous modifications in lower limb control during dynamic sports postures. The combined effects of these factors however, which are not independent within the sporting context, remain unclear. Considering fatigue is known to manifest both centrally and peripherally, poor decisions, reactions and hence movement responses indeed appear feasible in the presence of fatigue. With this in mind therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the combined effects of fatigue and decision making on 3D lower limb mechanic during dynamic landing tasks.