The one-legged jump upwards on the spot (vertical jump) and the one-legged jump forwards (horizontal jump) do not measure the same!

The correlation between these two functional tests is only 0.63 – 0.71.

That’s why we at Physio Restart attach so much importance to knowing exactly when we use which jump test and which exercise in practice.

Single-leg jumps are a good indicator for assessing biomechanics during multi-directional, sport-specific activities, among other things. However, they alone do not determine return to sport!

We can use jumps to assess your explosiveness and leg axis stability during rehabilitation in everyday clinical practice. It also makes sense for our team support on the sidelines to use these two core competencies after certain lower limb injuries in order to avoid returning to competition too early. Nevertheless, we also assess psychological readiness and muscle strength, because only then is our decision reliable.

The one-legged forward jump in particular is often used by physiotherapists in the later rehabilitation phase to make a statement about the function of the knee. Although this jump is easier to measure, document and compare , the knee joint is actually much less involved in the take-off and acceleration phase and therefore only contributes 1/3 to the result (jump distance achieved).

If we compare these two one-legged jumps with each other, we can see relevant differences in terms of the force involved in the joints. To what extent are the hip, knee and ankle joints involved in these jumps? Male, healthy subjects were examined in a cross-sectional cohort study at the Aspetar Orthopaedic Sports Clinic in Qatar . In percentage terms, the following data was obtained with regard to force involvement:

Long jump:

Jump off:

Hip 44% Knee 13% Foot 43%

Landing:

Hip 24% Knee 65% Foot 11.4%

High jump:

Jump off:

Hip 31% Knee 34% Foot 34%

Landing:

Hip 29% Knee 34% Foot 37%

Kotsifaki et al. 2021

So is our statement “you are ready to return to sport because your difference in distance has improved in the one-legged long jump” unspecific?

We can only answer this question with YES. There are other publications that support this. For example, Zarro et al. had athletes perform both tests 7.33 ± 2.05 months after an ACL injury and concluded that the vertical jump still showed deficits in knee function that the horizontal jump could not determine. In addition, symmetry in the distance jumped does not mean symmetry in muscle strength.

Conclusion: The one-legged long jump is mainly used to assess the functional hip and ankle joint ability, the one-legged high jump has significance for all three joints. Due to insufficient involvement of the knee in the one-legged long jump, further tests should be added to determine your knee joint performance and thus your return to sport.

Thanks to @aspetar for these study results, generated in March 2019.

The very low number of participants in this study population, which is also only male, is worth mentioning!

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References:

1.Hamilton, RT, Shultz, SJ, Schmitz, RJ, Perrin, DH. Triple-hop distance as a valid predictor of lower limb strength and power. J Athl Train. 2008;43:144-151.

2.Taylor, JB, Ford, KR, Nguyen, AD, Shultz, SJ. Biomechanical comparison of single- and double-leg jump landings in the sagittal and frontal plane. Orthop J Sports Med. 2016;4:2325967116655158.

3.Kotsifaki A, Korakakis V, Graham-Smith P, Sideris V, Whiteley R. Vertical and Horizontal Hop Performance: Contributions of the Hip, Knee, and Ankle. Sports Health. 2021 Mar;13(2):128-135.

4.Zarro MJ, Stitzlein MG, Lee JS, et al. Single-Leg Vertical Hop Test Detects Greater Limb Asymmetries Than Horizontal Hop Tests After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in NCAA Division 1 Collegiate Athletes. IJSPT. 2021;16(6):1405-1414.

Recommendation on the importance of sleep

Sleep, the miracle cure. It makes you smart, efficient, creative, strong and satisfied. It is the cheapest medicine you can take every day. Be careful with it.

Perhaps it is the cheapest type of therapy. But certainly one of the most difficult tasks.

You should sleep well, not too little, not too much. You should avoid late, hearty meals in the evening and intensive exercise. The consumption of blue light and noise from the TV and cell phone reduce the quality of your sleep. The time you go to bed and get up should be as consistent as possible. And it’s best to wake up shortly before the alarm clock rings.

You have probably read and heard one or even all of the recommendations somewhere before. But it’s understandable if it’s almost impossible to follow them all. What do I do if my team sport is from 20.00-21.30 in the evening due to the hall times? How do I explain to my boss if I only order a glass of water for a business lunch? And should I leave my one-year-old child crying in bed when he calls in at 1.00 a.m.?

This means that we cannot follow many rules about sleep at certain stages of our lives. That is a fact.

Influences of sleep

Nevertheless, all of you probably know how nerve-wracking and exhausting the next day at the office or the competition on the pitch can be if we have slept too little and poorly the night before. What else can affect our sleep and impair its quality? Lots of things.

1. The hormone testosterone can extend the duration of sleep.
2. The female hormone oestrogen can reduce our core body temperature and cause tiredness.
3. A lack of physical activity during the day and an unhealthy lifestyle can be reasons for sleep problems and increase the risk of suffering from chronic diseases.
4. Taking certain contraceptives can increase the release of melatonin* and lead to earlier bedtimes in the evening.

*Melatonin is a hormone that determines the human day-night rhythm.

So we can and should become aware of certain negative influences of sleep and try not to let it become a habit.

Did you know that:

1. … only 5% of the world’s population dream in black and white? Most dreams are actually colorful. However, this is difficult to objectify and the results are based on questionnaires.
2. … women tend to have a poorer quality of sleep than men? And that this can be explained by the role of gender and hormones?

If you are more interested in the topic of sleep, I can recommend the book Why we Sleep by Matthew Walker . A little tip: it’s not an easy read.

Why We Sleep is an important and fascinating book…Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you. Bill Gates

And now: Sleep well!

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References:

1. Zielinski MR, McKenna JT, McCarley RW. Functions and mechanisms of sleep. AIMS Neurosci. 2016;3(1):67-104.

2. Santhi N, Lazar AS, Mccabe PJ, Lo JC, Groeger JA, Dijk D. Sex differences in the circadian regulation of sleep and waking cognition in humans. 2016

3. Mallampalli MP, Carter CL. Exploring sex and gender differences in sleep health: A society for women’s health research report. J Women’s Heal. 2014;23(7):553-62.

4. ASA American Sleep Association. What is Sleep and Why is It Important?

5. Sleep Foundation | Trusted Sleep Health Information and Product Reviews. Sleepfoundation.org. (2022). Retrieved April 3, 2022, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/.