Time to stability differences between male and female dancers after landing from a jump on flat and inclined floors.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of gender and inclined floor on time to stability (TTS) after landing from a vertical jump.

DESIGN

This study used a repeated measures design with male and female professional dancers landing on a flat and 4 inclined floors. A repeated measures univariate analysis of variance (gender × floor) was performed on TTS in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions.

SETTING

Biomechanics laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-three female and 13 male professional dancers.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Gender and floor inclination (flat, posterior, anterior, lateral, and medial).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to stability in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions after landing from a vertical jump.

RESULTS

Female dancers exhibited longer TTS in both directions (P ≤ 0.05). Floor inclination or the interaction of gender × floor did not have an effect on TTS (P > 0.3).

CONCLUSIONS

Female dancers exhibited longer TTS after landing from a vertical jump compared with their male counterparts. This balance difference may be a factor related to the higher rate of ankle sprain among female dancers. Additionally, professional dancers exhibited similar TTS when landing on flat and inclined floors.