Effect of Whole Body Parameters on Knee Joint Biomechanics: Implications for ACL Injury Prevention During Single-Leg Landings.

This article investigates the effect of whole body (WB) kinematics, kinetics, and muscle forces on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) strain and articular cartilage biomechanics during two dynamic single-leg landing tasks: the single-leg cross drop (SLCD) and single-leg drop (SLD). Using motion capture data from 14 physically active adults combined with musculoskeletal and finite element (FE) knee joint simulations, the study identified WB parameters predictive of high ACL strain, including greater knee abduction angles and moments at initial contact, higher anterior tibial shear forces, and lower forces in the gracilis, gluteus maximus, and gastrocnemius muscles. The findings suggest that these biomechanical factors collectively increase ACL strain and cartilage stress, highlighting their relevance for developing targeted injury prevention training programs. Limitations include a small sample size, use of a single knee joint model, and participants who were not athletes, which may affect generalizability.