Abstract
Introduction
Lower limb injuries are major problems in team sports, especially among female players. The study aimed to investigate how lower limb injury history compared to no history of injuries affects unilateral and bilateral jumping performance in female basketball players. Additionally, knee and ankle mobility were investigated.
Material and methods
Twenty-one female basketball players participated in this study: 12 players from the elite level and 9 from the university team. There were 21 limbs with an injury history of knee or ankle sprain. Two jumping tests were conducted: a two-leg countermovement jump (CMJ) without arm swing, and a series of single-leg jumps within 15 seconds. Parameters of jumps were detected and measured using the optical measuring system. Injury history was investigated using a survey.
Results
Elite players had a greater CMJ height, specific and total energy, active knee extension and smaller ankle dorsiflexion than university players. No significant differences were found between knee and ankle injuries in terms of the parameters of CMJ and single-leg jumps or range of motion. There were significant correlations between the frequency of jumps (r = − 0.66, p = 0.001), total energy (r = 0.55, p = 0.009), contact time (r = 0.49, p = 0.02), height (r = 0.46, p = 0.03) and the time elapsed since the injury.
Conclusions
Coaches and physiotherapists should consider the connection between time elapsed since the injury and jumping performance when evaluating female basketball players' abilities and risk factors for re-injury.