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Background. A range of non-contact injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament tear, and patellofemoral pain syndrome are caused by disordered knee joint loading from excessive dynamic knee valgus (DKV). Previous systematic reviews showed that DKV could be modified through the influence of hip strength and ankle range of motion. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effects of exercise intervention which involved either top-down or bottom-up kinetic chains on minimizing DKV in male and female adults and adolescents, with and without existing knee pain. Methodology. Electronic searches were conducted in SAGE, Science Direct, SCOPUS, and Pubmed. The search strategy consisted of medical subject headings and free-text search keywords, synonyms and variations of ‘exercise intervention,’ ‘knee alignment,’ ‘dynamic knee valgus’, ‘knee abduction’ that were merged via the Boolean operator ‘AND’ and ‘OR’. The search was conducted on full-text journals that documented the impact of the exercise intervention program involving either the bottom-up or top- down DKV mechanism on the knee kinematics. Furthermore, exercise intervention in this review should last at least one week which included two or three sessions per week. This review also considered both men and women of all ages with a healthy or symptomatic knee problem. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed by Cochrane risk assessment tool. The protocol of this review was registered at PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42021219121). Results. Ten studies with a total of 423 participants (male =22.7%, female =77.3%; adults =249, adolescents =123; pre-adolescent =51) met the inclusion criteria of this review. Seven studies showed the significant effects of the exercise intervention program (range from two weeks to ten weeks) on reducing DKV. The exercise training in these seven studies focused on muscle groups directly attached to the knee joint such as hamstrings and gastrocnemius. The remaining three studies did not show significant improvement in DKV after the exercise intervention (range between eight weeks to twelve weeks) probably because they focused on trunk and back muscles instead of muscles crossing the knee joint. Conclusion. Exercises targeting specific knee-joint muscles, either from top-down or bottom-up kinetic chain, are likely to reduce DKV formation. These results may assist athletes and coaches to develop effective exercise program that could minimize DKV and ultimately prevent lower limb injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor technique during landing might lead to increased risk of non-contact lower limb injuries. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of landing heights and gender on the lower limb mechanics during drop vertical jump among athletes. Thirty university athletes between the ages of 19 and 25, with healthy weight, screened for a normal range of dynamic knee valgus and train regularly three times weekly were recruited as participants for the study. The lower limbs joint angles and moments were compared across gender and landing heights (30 cm vs 45 cm) at three landing time-points (initial contact, maximum vertical ground reaction force, and maximum knee flexion). The findings indicated that no significant differences were observed in lower limb joint angles and moments at the sagittal and frontal planes across gender and landing heights. Meanwhile, a significant difference existed for knee extensor moment during maximum knee flexion (F(1.618,90.629) = 4.096, p = 0.027) across landing heights. landing heights and gender may not affect lower limb mechanics except for knee extensor moments during maximum knee flexion. Females with normal range of dynamic knee valgus may exhibit a safe landing technique hence a screening test is crucial to identify its presence among female athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Introduction: Knee valgus which also known as dynamic knee valgus (DKV), is frequently linked to non-contact lower-limb injuries, especially in females. This retrospective study aims to compare the kinematic variables of lower limb joints in physically active females with normal versus excessive DKV during single leg squat (SLS) at 45° and 60° knee flexion. Methods: Based on the outcomes of drop vertical jump screening test, 34 females were recruited and divided into two groups (i.e., normal and excessive DKV). Participants performed SLS at 45° and 60° knee flexion with three-dimensional motion capture and analysis. The kinematic variables of lower limb joints at both knee flexion of SLS were compared across groups using independent T-test. Results: During 45° SLS with the dominant limb, the normal DKV group performed significantly greater hip adduction angle (4.49±3.25°, t(32) = 2.371, p= 0.024) than the excessive DKV group (1.426±4.23°). During 60° SLS with the dominant limb, the normal DKV group showed knee adduction (0.223±0.07°, t(16.048) = 10.707, p=0.001) while the excessive DKV group showed knee abduction (-4.478±1.81°). Conclusion: Females with excessive DKV showed significantly different lower limb kinematics and motion control strategy compared to females with normal range of DKV. The findings highlighted the importance of DKV screening among physically active females, and the rationale for prescribing individualized exercise intervention to prevent lower limb non-contact injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]