Document Type : Original article
Authors
1
department of Exercise Physiology and Corrective Exercise, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
2
Associate Professor of Corrective Exercises and Sport Pathology, Department of Exercise Physiology and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
3
department of biomechanics and sport injuries,, sport science faculty, kharazmi university, of tehran, tehran, iran
4
assistant professor, Department of Sports Injury and Corrective Exercise, Faculty of Physical education, allameh tabatab'i, Tehran, Iran
10.22037/sjrm.2025.117409.3337
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction: Dynamic knee valgus is recognized as one of the most significant risk factors for ACL injuries. Common strategies employed to prevent dynamic knee valgus and consequently ACL injuries include taping and visual feedback techniques. The objective of this study was to compare the immediate effects of taping and visual feedback methods on kinematic risk factors in male athletes exhibiting dynamic knee valgus.
Material and methods: This study was a semi-experimental design. Thirty-four athletes aged 20-25 years with dynamic knee valgus were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to taping and visual feedback groups. Kinovea software was utilized to screen for dynamic knee valgus during a 32-cm drop landing task. Both study groups performed double-leg squats, single-leg squats, forward step-downs, and lateral step-downs under both taping and visual feedback conditions. In the taping method, an "I" shaped tape was applied from the tibial tuberosity to the medial and lateral femoral condyles to restrict anterior tibial translation. In the visual feedback group, participants stood in front of a full-length mirror and were instructed to prevent their knees from moving towards the midline of their body while visually monitoring their alignment. Knee and hip flexion angles, knee valgus, and ankle dorsiflexion angles were measured using a IMU system before and after the exercise intervention. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was employed to analyze the data at a significance level of P≤0.05.
Results: The results of this study indicated a significant increase in peak knee (p=0.001) and hip (p=0.004) flexion angles from pretest to posttest in the visual feedback group. Furthermore, both the visual feedback group (p=0.001) and the taping group (p=0.001) showed a significant decrease in peak knee valgus angle from pretest to posttest phase. In between-group comparisons the visual feedback group compared to taping group showed a significant increase in peak knee flexion (p = 0.001) and hip flexion (p = 0.039) angles, and a significant decrease in peak knee valgus angle (p = 0.001).
revealed significant differences between the taping and visual feedback groups in terms of peak knee flexion (p=0.001), hip flexion (p=0.039), and knee valgus (p=0.001) angles.
Conclusion: Both visual feedback and taping interventions positively reduced kinematic risk factors for ACL injury. However, the visual feedback group demonstrated a larger effect size on most variables compared to the taping group. The findings of this study support the effectiveness of visual feedback in controlling knee valgus and mitigating kinematic risk factors for ACL injury. Therefore, visual feedback is recommended for athletes seeking to reduce their risk of ACL injury.
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