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The link between dynamic range of motion (dROM) parameters within the kinematic chain and the development of lower extremity (LE) injury has gained attention; however, very few longitudinal studies have been conducted. Therefore, we wanted to prospectively determine dROM-related risk factors for the development of LE injury. Within this study, 90 female physical education students aged 19.33±0.87 years were tested. Full-body kinematic and vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) parameters were measured during a triple hop jump (THJ). Cox regression analysis was used to identify potential risk factors for the development of LE injury. The injury follow-up was assessed using a weekly online questionnaire and a tri-monthly retrospective control questionnaire. Lower extremity injury was diagnosed by an experienced medical doctor. During the follow-up, 39 percent of the participants were diagnosed with a LE injury. Decreased dROM of the pelvic segment (P=.043) and increased dROM of the knee and ankle joint (P=.041 and P=.028, respectively) in the sagittal plane during landing phase were identified as predictive parameters for the development of LE injury in women. No VGRF parameters were identified as predictive variables. It can be concluded that an altered dROM within the LE kinematic chain was observed within the group at risk for LE injury. More specifically, this group showed reduced proximal dROM that was coupled with increased dROM in the distal segments during a THJ. The THJ can be seen as a practical screening tool for LE injury., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Sports injuries could be highly detrimental to the career of a physical education teacher education (PETE) student. To enable the development of future sports injury prevention programs, sports injuries in 128 first-year academic bachelor PETE students were registered prospectively during one academic year. Common risk factors for sports injuries, taken from the literature, were also evaluated by means of logistic regression analysis. We found an incidence rate of 1.91 and an injury risk of 0.85, which is higher than generally found in a sports-active population. Most injuries involved the lower extremities, were acute, newly occurring injuries, and took place in non-contact situations. More than half of all injuries lead to an inactivity period of 1 week or more and over 80% of all injuries required medical attention. A major part of these injuries happened during the intracurricular sports classes. Few differences were seen between women and men. A history of injury was a significant risk factor (P = 0.018) for the occurrence of injuries, and performance of cooling-down exercises was significantly related to a lower occurrence of ankle injuries (P = 0.031). These data can inform future programs for the prevention of sports injuries in PETE students., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)