Anterior Cruciate Ligament Load during Landing Estimated by a Sagittal Plane Knee Model

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to estimate the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) load in landing using a sagittal plane knee model. [Method] Six healthy males landed from a height of 60 cm. The instruments used for measurement were a three-dimensional motion capture system, force platforms and surface electromyography. Muscle forces estimated by electromyography-assisted optimization were input to the knee joint model to calculate the ACL load. [Result] The estimated ACL load was about 330 N. [Conclusion] Previous studies reported that braking force of ACL is about 2000 N. The values calculated in the present study were much smaller than the braking force of ACL. This result suggests that ACL injury in landing does not occur only through the mechanical contribution of the sagittal plane.