Maximum lyapunov exponent analysis of a repetitive vertical jump task in female athletes

Studies have shown that risk of noncontact injury largely depends on knee abduction (KA) at the time of injury, with Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries occurring at significantly larger KA than the KA at initial contact with the ground [2]. The goal of this study was to assess whether the Maximum Lyapunov Exponent (MLE) could be correlated to this known injury risk-related metric. This study collected the kinematics of repeated vertical jumps from thirteen uninjured female D1 soccer, D1 basketball, and club soccer athletes from Auburn University. KA was measured at MKF and compared to the MLE over the duration of the study. This study found a correlation between KA of both legs at MKF with the MLE of KA. This finding suggests that the MLE should be explored as a potential metric for assessing risk of ACL injury in future studies.