Kobayashi T1, Urabe Y1, Fujishita H2, Sasadai J1, Morikawa M1, Maeda N1
1Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Hiroshima, Japan, 2Hiroshima University Hospital, Sports Medical Center, Hiroshima, Japan
Background: Amputee football is a sport played by upper or lower extremity amputees. Lower extremity amputees play as field players, using paired Lofstrand crutches and without wearing any prostheses. The characteristics of amputee football is supporting the body with the upper extremities via paired clutches. It is thought that a considerable amount of load is generated in the upper extremities during kicking motion, and repetition of kicking motion may lead to sports injuries. Actually, in the field, players often complain of pain in the joints of the upper extremities such as the wrist joints and the shoulder joints. However, the amount of the load applied to the upper extremities during the kicking motion of the amputee football is unknown from the standpoint of the ground reaction force.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate the load applied to the upper extremities considering the ground reaction force during the kicking motion of the amputee football.
Methods: Six healthy collegiate students who have played amputee football with using crutches, and whose legs had not been amputated, participated in this study as the subjects simulating amputees (height: 170.9 ± 3.4 cm, weight: 66.6 ± 9.9 kg, experience period: 1.8 ± 1.1 years). All participants performed a maximal instep kick with using crutches on the force plates. During the kicking motion, the participants were instructed not to touch the floor with the non-kicking leg. The peak vGRF (upward: +), anteroposterior components of GRF (apGRF; posterior: +), and absolute value of peak mediolateral components of GRF (mlGRF) in the kicking leg side (KLS) and the non-kicking leg side (NKLS), generated by crutches, were collected using force plates.
Results: The peak vGRF of NKLS (84.0 ± 10.5 %BW) was larger than that of KLS (72.2 ± 12.6 %BW; p 0.05), and the peak apGRF of NKLS (27.7 ± 5.5 %BW) was larger than that of KLS (10.3 ± 3.6 %BW; p 0.05). The absolute value of peak mlGRF of NKLS was 9.6 ± 7.0 %BW and was generated toward KLS. The absolute value of peak mlGRF of KLS was 24.4 ± 7.3 %BW and was generated toward NKLS. The absolute value of mlGRF of KLS was significantly greater than that of NKLS (p 0.05).
Conclusion(s): In this study, vGRF and apGRF of NKLS were greater than those of KLS. Considering from these results, the crutch and upper extremity of NKLS might be mainly playing the role like the support leg supports the weight. Additionally, from the view point that the absolute value of mlGRF in KLS was greater than that in NKLS, the crutch and upper extremity in KLS may prevent the body from flowing to the KLS side and might contribute to stabilizing the body during kicking motion. In conclusion, the upper extremity of NKLS thought to be more responsible for weight support may be more likely to lead to the sports injuries than that of KLS.
Implications: This study could be useful to know the load applied to upper extremities in amputee football players.
Keywords: Amputee football, Lofstrand crutches, Sports injury
Funding acknowledgements: We have no funding acknowledgement in this study.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate the load applied to the upper extremities considering the ground reaction force during the kicking motion of the amputee football.
Methods: Six healthy collegiate students who have played amputee football with using crutches, and whose legs had not been amputated, participated in this study as the subjects simulating amputees (height: 170.9 ± 3.4 cm, weight: 66.6 ± 9.9 kg, experience period: 1.8 ± 1.1 years). All participants performed a maximal instep kick with using crutches on the force plates. During the kicking motion, the participants were instructed not to touch the floor with the non-kicking leg. The peak vGRF (upward: +), anteroposterior components of GRF (apGRF; posterior: +), and absolute value of peak mediolateral components of GRF (mlGRF) in the kicking leg side (KLS) and the non-kicking leg side (NKLS), generated by crutches, were collected using force plates.
Results: The peak vGRF of NKLS (84.0 ± 10.5 %BW) was larger than that of KLS (72.2 ± 12.6 %BW; p 0.05), and the peak apGRF of NKLS (27.7 ± 5.5 %BW) was larger than that of KLS (10.3 ± 3.6 %BW; p 0.05). The absolute value of peak mlGRF of NKLS was 9.6 ± 7.0 %BW and was generated toward KLS. The absolute value of peak mlGRF of KLS was 24.4 ± 7.3 %BW and was generated toward NKLS. The absolute value of mlGRF of KLS was significantly greater than that of NKLS (p 0.05).
Conclusion(s): In this study, vGRF and apGRF of NKLS were greater than those of KLS. Considering from these results, the crutch and upper extremity of NKLS might be mainly playing the role like the support leg supports the weight. Additionally, from the view point that the absolute value of mlGRF in KLS was greater than that in NKLS, the crutch and upper extremity in KLS may prevent the body from flowing to the KLS side and might contribute to stabilizing the body during kicking motion. In conclusion, the upper extremity of NKLS thought to be more responsible for weight support may be more likely to lead to the sports injuries than that of KLS.
Implications: This study could be useful to know the load applied to upper extremities in amputee football players.
Keywords: Amputee football, Lofstrand crutches, Sports injury
Funding acknowledgements: We have no funding acknowledgement in this study.
Topic: Sport & sports injuries; Human movement analysis
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Hiroshima University Hospital
Ethics committee: the ethical committee
Ethics number: E-1144
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
