Alterations in peak ground-reaction force during 60-cm drop landings caused by a single session of repeated Wingate anaerobic tests.

CONTEXT: Lower extremity injury is prevalent among individuals participating in sports. Numerous variables have been reported as predisposing risk factors to injury; however, the effects of muscle fatigue on landing kinetics are unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the effects of a single session of repeated muscle fatigue on peak vertical ground-reaction force (GRF) during drop landings.

DESIGN

Mixed factorial with repeated measures.

SETTING

Controlled laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS

10 female and 10 male healthy recreational athletes.

INTERVENTION: Subjects performed 3 fatigued drop landings (60 cm) after four 20-s Wingate anaerobic tests (WATs) with 5 min of active recovery between fatigued conditions.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Kinetic data of peak forefoot (F1) force, peak rear-foot (F2) force, and anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) forces at both F1 and F2.

RESULTS

A significant main effect was observed in the nonfatigued and fatigued drop landings in respect to peak F2 force. The greatest significant difference was shown between the first fatigued drop-landing condition and the last fatigued drop-landing condition. No significant difference was observed between genders for all GRF variables across fatigue conditions.

CONCLUSION

A single session of repeated conditions of anaerobic muscle fatigue induced by WATs caused an initial reduction in peak F2 force followed by an increase in peak F2 force across conditions. Muscle fatigue consequently alters landing kinetics, potentially increasing the risk of injury.