Sidestep cutting maneuvers in female basketball players: Stop phase poses greater risk for anterior cruciate ligament injury

Background: Many non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female basketball players occur during sidestep cutting. The objective of this study was to identify the phases of a sidestep cutting maneuver that place athletes at a greater risk for ACL injuries. Methods: Ten healthy female collegiate basketball athletes were asked to perform sidestep cutting movements; the knee flexion and valgus angles as well as the electromyographic activity of the vastus lateral, vastus medial, biceps femoris, and semimembranosus muscles of the non-dominant leg were analyzed during the maneuver. Results: The mean knee valgus angle peak tended to be greater during the stop phase than during the side-movement phase. The quadriceps activation during the stop phase was significantly higher than that during the side-movement phase. Moreover, the ratio of hamstring to quadriceps muscle activation during the stop phase was significantly lower than that during the side-movement phase, as assessed by surface electromyography. Conclusion: Female basketball athletes have a higher risk for ACL injury during the stop phase than during the side-movement phase of the sidestep cutting maneuver. Level of evidence: Level III. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.