Relationship between sport injuries at lower leg and foot and muscle tightness: for puberty to adolescent athletes

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between sports injuries in the lower leg and foot and gastrocnemius muscle tightness in 43 athletes going through puberty to adolescence. Lower leg and foot injuries were evaluated by medical check-ups. The subjects performed a figure-eight jump on one leg for 20 seconds, and gastrocnemius muscle tightness was measured before and after the jump. A two-way ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between pre-and post-jump as an intra-subject factor, and injury positivity/negativity as an inter-subject factor (F=5.586, p=.023). Examination of the simple main effect showed that muscle tightness before and after the jump was significantly higher in athletes with injuries, and muscle tightness after the jump was significantly higher in both athletes with and without injuries. In addition, athletes with injuries had more significant differences in muscle tightness before and after the jump than those without injuries. A relationship between the lower leg and foot injuries and gastrocnemius muscle tightness was shown, suggesting that the way the body is moved during the jumping operation is related to the amount of increase in muscle tightness immediately after the jump and the occurrence of injuries.