| two-Dimensional Biomechanical Analysis of Cutting Movements in Young Female Soccer Players: Identifying Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury |
| Paper ID : 1503-SPORTCONGRESS |
| Authors |
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roya Bigtashkhani *1, Emad Bigtashkhani2 1PhD Student, Department of Sports Injury and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran 2MSc Student, Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran. |
| Abstract |
| Abstract Introduction: Non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are 4–6 times more common in female soccer players, with cutting maneuvers as the primary mechanism. This prospective study used field-based 2D video analysis to identify high-risk knee and trunk mechanics in elite youth female athletes. Methods: Forty elite female youth players (age: 17.1 ± 1.2 yrs; height: 165.3 ± 4.8 cm; mass: 58.4 ± 5.9 kg) from Tehran Premier League academies performed a 45° side-step cut at 5.4 ± 0.3 m/s (controlled via timing gates). Frontal and sagittal plane videos were recorded using a Xiaomi 13 smartphone (60 fps, 1080p) from 3 m distance and 1 m height, calibrated with a 1-m reference rod. Knee valgus angle and trunk lateral lean were digitized at initial contact and peak valgus using Kinovea v0.9.5 (intra-rater ICC = 0.93; accuracy <2°; mean of 3 trials). Injuries were tracked over 9 months using the OSTRC questionnaire with MRI confirmation. Results: Eight players (20%) sustained non-contact ACL tears. Injured players showed greater knee valgus at initial contact (29.4 ± 3.3° vs. 20.8 ± 2.7°, p < 0.001) and increased trunk lean at peak valgus (17.2 ± 4.1° vs. 10.3 ± 3.2°, p = 0.001). Valgus >28° at initial contact increased injury risk 6.2-fold (OR = 6.2, 95% CI: 2.4–15.8). Conclusion: Coaches and physiotherapists in resource-limited settings can use smartphone-based 2D analysis with Kinovea to screen high-risk cutting mechanics during pre-season, enabling early targeted prevention despite 3D motion capture limitations. |
| Keywords |
| Keywords: Female soccer, ACL injury, 2D video analysis, cutting maneuver, knee valgus, injury screening |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
