Effects of prophylactic knee bracing on patellar tendon loading parameters during functional sports tasks in recreational athletes

摘要

Purpose This study investigated the efects of prophylactic knee bracing on patellar tendon loading parameters.udMethods Twenty recreational athletes (10 male and 10 female) from diferent athletic disciplines performed run, cut andudsingle leg hop movements under two conditions (prophylactic knee brace/no-brace). Lower extremity kinetics and kinematicsudwere examined using a piezoelectric force plate and three-dimensional motion capture system. Patellar tendon loading wasudexplored using a mathematical modelling approach, which accounted for co-contraction of the knee lexors. Tendon loadingudparameters were examined using 2 (brace) × 3 (movement) × 2 (sex) mixed ANOVAs.udResults Tendon instantaneous load rate was signiicantly reduced in female athletes in the run (brace 289.14 BW/s no-braceud370.06 BW/s) and cut (brace 353.17 BW/s/no-brace 422.01 BW/s) conditions whilst wearing the brace.udConclusions Female athletes may be able to attenuate their risk from patellar tendinopathy during athletic movements,udthrough utilization of knee bracing, although further prospective research into the prophylactic efects of knee bracing isudrequired before this can be clinically substantiated.