Evaluation of Ligamentous Stresses in the Lower Leg Subjected to Shear, Rotation and Kick Out Commonly Seen in Dynamic Athletic Maneuvers

Lower leg ligamentous injuries are the most commonly seen injuries in sports involving complex dynamic maneuvers. These injuries are not always accompanied by bone trauma and can severely impair the skills of the player. Cleats, which commonly form part of sportsperson’s footwear, can greatly affect the stresses generated in the ligaments of the ankle, knee and hip. Literature data has shown that effectively controlling the traction between the shoe and field surface plays a key role in the forces transmitted via the athlete’s lower leg. The objective of the current study was to study the effect of modifying the cleat design on the ligamentous stresses in the ankle, knee and hip joint using field test data. The study utilized a Finite Element Lower Leg Model of a 50th percentile adult male (Wayne State Lower Leg Human Model) with appropriate boundary conditions simulating three different foot strikes commonly seen in field sports, i.e. shear, rotation and kick out. A comparison was drawn between two different cleat designs based on field test data to investigate stresses induced in the hip, knee and ankle joint ligaments of the human leg.