Wearing Cushioning Shoes Reduce Load Rates More Effectively in Post-Fatigue than in Pre-Fatigue during Landings

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Athlete experience high impact forces during landing, which is a contributing factor to injury risk potentials. As a potential factor of affecting the impact force, previous study of the effects of footwear cushioning effect on landing biomechanics were inconsistent. Furthermore, limited efforts have been exerted on the relationship between footwear cushioning and fatigue. In this study, the footwear cushioning effects on bipedal landing biomechanics before and after acute exercise-induced fatigue protocol were explored. The results of this study suggest that footwear cushioning can reduce landing-related rearfoot impact forces regardless of fatigue conditions. In a situation where the neuromuscular activity is reduced or absent, e.g., post-fatigue, wearing better cushioning shoes show superior attenuation, as indicated by low forefoot and rearfoot impacts. ABSTRACT: Purpose: this study aimed to investigate the footwear cushioning effects on impact forces and joint kinematics of the lower extremity during bipedal drop landings before and after acute exercise-induced fatigue protocol. Methods: in this case, 15 male collegiate basketball athletes performed drop landings from a 60 cm platform wearing highly-cushioned shoes (HS) and less cushioned shoes (control shoes, CS) before and after acute fatigue-inducing exercises (i.e., shuttle run combined with multiple vertical jumps). Force plates and motion capturing systems were synchronised to measure ground reaction forces and kinematic data during drop landings. Maximum jump height was analysed with one-way ANOVA. Two-way repeated measure ANOVAs were performed on each of the tested variables to examine if there was significant main effects of shoe and fatigue as well as the interaction. The significance level was set to 0.05. Results: rearfoot peak impact forces and loading rates significantly reduced when the participants wore HS in pre- and post-fatigue conditions. The peak loading rates in forefoot significantly reduced when HS were worn in post-fatigue. Compared with pre-fatigue, wearing HS contributed to with 24% and 13% reduction in forefoot and rearfoot peak loading rates, respectively, and the occurrence times of first and second peak impact forces and loading rates were much later. In the post-fatigue, a significant increase in the initial contact and minimum angles of the ankle were observed in HS compared with CS. Conclusion: these findings suggest that footwear cushioning can reduce landing-related rearfoot impact forces regardless of fatigue conditions. In a situation where the neuromuscular activity is reduced or absent such as post-fatigue wearing better cushioning shoes show superior attenuation, as indicated by lower forefoot and rearfoot impacts.