Effects of forefoot vs. rearfoot landing on biomechanical risk factors for lower limb injuries and performance during stop-jumping tasks.

INTRODUCTION

Lower limb injuries commonly occur during sudden deceleration movements, where landing technique plays a critical role. The choice between forefoot and rearfoot landing strategies remains debatable, especially when considering both injury prevention and performance optimization. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the forefoot and rearfoot landing on lower limb biomechanical risk factors and performance during a stop-jumping task.

METHODS

Twenty-three healthy male subjects performed a stop-jumping task under forefoot and rearfoot landing conditions, during which 3D kinematic, kinetic, and performance data were collected.

RESULTS

Forefoot landing exhibited significantly greater ankle plantarflexion (-26.02° vs. 18.81°) and internal rotation (3.67° vs. -3.32°) at initial contact compared to rearfoot landing (p < 0.001). In the early landing phase, forefoot landing demonstrated larger posterior ground reaction force (GRF) (0%-41%), more posteriorly inclined GRF angle (0%-20%), and more vertical inclined shank angle (11%-57%). Hip flexion angles (20%-91.3%) and abduction angles (27.9%-98.5%) were smaller and the knee abduction angles (16.4%-28.2%) were greater in forefoot. Forefoot landing achieved shorter stance time (396.75 vs. 433.48 ms, p = 0.01) while maintaining similar jump height (49.51 vs. 50.07 cm, p = 0.34) compared to rearfoot landing.

DISCUSSION: Forefoot landing during stop-jumping tasks demonstrated distinct biomechanical patterns including increased posterior GRF and more posteriorly inclined GRF angle during early stance, potentially reducing anterior cruciate ligament loading while providing performance benefits through decreased stance time without compromising jump height. However, the increased ankle internal rotation observed during forefoot landing suggests an elevated risk of lateral ankle sprain. These findings suggest a potential trade-off between knee protection and ankle vulnerability that should be considered when developing landing technique training programs.