Purpose: Past research supports the hypothesis that the position of basketball players affects their susceptibility to injury; however, there is disagreement among researchers regarding which positions are at greater risk of injury. The current study compares the lower limb joint angles in basketball players with dynamic knee valgus deficiency across different positions.
Methods: In this study, 27 basketball players with dynamic knee valgus deficiency were purposefully selected in three groups as follows: Guards (mean age=19.77±2.68 years, mean height=1.77±0.04 cm, and mean weight=63.40±5.10 kg), forwards (mean age=20.22±2.90 years, mean height=187±0.04 cm, and mean weight=76.80±2.94 kg ) and centers (mean age=22.33±3.27years, mean height=1.99±0.04 cm, and mean weight=98.84±18.42 kg), within the age range of 16 to 26 years. The anthropometric characteristics of the players, including height, weight, shoulder width, hip width, anterior superior iliac spine distance, lower limb length, Q angle, knee width, and ankle width, were measured. To evaluate the lower limb angles in the sagittal and frontal planes, imaging was performed using two digital cameras at a distance of 366 cm and a height of 105 cm relative to the subject, and the subjects performed three countermovement jumps. The analysis was conducted using the Kinovea software. To compare the mean variables of the study, mixed-design analysis of variance (2×3), one-way analysis of variance, and the Bonferroni post hoc tests were utilized. All hypothesis tests were conducted at a significance level of  P≤0.05.
Results: There was no significant difference in the initial contact angle of the hip joint (P=0.537), maximum hip flexion (P=0.891), initial contact angle of the knee joint (P=0.264), maximum knee flexion (P=0.321), initial contact angle of the ankle joint (P=0.116), and maximum ankle flexion (P=0.393) among the three groups. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the initial contact angle of the knee joint in dominant (P=0.059) and non-dominant (P=0.490) legs, as well as in the maximum knee flexion in dominant (P=0.872) and non-dominant (P=0.552) legs.
Conclusion: No significant differences were observed in the lower limb joint angles among the three groups of guards, forwards, and centers. Therefore, different basketball positions may not be a significant risk factor for non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries.