Effects of compression legwear on postural stability and lower limb biomechanics during single-leg drop landing: a randomized cross-over study

Abstract This randomized cross-over study investigates the impacts of different types of legwear on postural stability and lower limb biomechanics during single-leg drop landing (SDL). Eleven active healthy males (age: 26.0 ± 3.1 years; height: 170.2 ± 6.5 cm; weight: 67.6 ± 8.1 kg) have participated in this study and randomly received three different types of commercially available legwear for testing. Thirty reflective markers were adhered overlying bony landmarks the lower limbs. An eight-camera motion capture system with two force plates were synchronized and kinematic and kinetic data, respectively, at a sampling frequency of 100 Hz. The participants performed barefoot, single-leg drop landings from a 40-cm platform onto the force plate with the instruction to remain stationary for 5 s. Dependent variables included: time to the maximum vertical ground reaction force, time to stabilization, center of pressure displacement, and dynamic postural stability index and joint motion in all three planes. One-way repeated measures ANOVA were used to determine if there were differences between the three conditions with statistical significance accepted. The results demonstrated that the type of legwear significantly influenced landing biomechanics. Notably, the ankle-length compression tights were significantly associated with an improved dynamic postural stability index and a reduction in peak frontal plane moments at the knee and hip compared to the control condition. These findings suggest that ankle-length compression legwear may enhance landing stability by improving frontal plane control during SDLs. This indicates a potential for such garments to reduce injury risk in sports that involve similar landing demands, highlighting their practical significance for athletes and researchers in sports science and medicine.