Reducing Lower Body Injuries in Athletes Through Force Plate Analysis of Safer Change-of-Direction Mechanics

Lower body injuries in field sports are frequently associated with rapid changes in direction. These injuries often occur on artificial turf, where high ground reaction force loading rates may lead to injury. This study investigated how different body postures during directional deceleration influence loading rate on artificial turf. A force plate covered with a section of artificial turf was used to measure ground reaction forces during change-of-direction movements. A single participant wearing football cleats performed repeated trials under four different postural conditions. Each position represented different lower extremity and trunk postures during change-of-direction. Each posture was tested across 30 trials, and loading rate was calculated as the change in directional force divided by the time to peak force. A One-Way ANOVA test was conducted to compare the mean loading rates across postures. Results indicated a statistically significant difference in loading rate between the control condition and Condition 4, as well as between Conditions 2 and 4, while no significant differences were observed between the remaining conditions. These findings suggest that certain deceleration postures can reduce the harmful effects of artificial turf. Although variability was present, the results support the hypothesis that different change-of-direction mechanics (specifically Condition 4) contribute to loading rates associated with the lower body. Further research using larger sample sizes and additional mechanics is recommended in order to better understand the relationship between body posture, loading rate, and injury.