Simulated Patterns in Landing Mechanics: Comparing Male and Female Biomechanical Models

Overview

ACL injuries are becoming increasingly common in young athletes, especially in sports that involve jumping and landing. This experiment investigates whether certain landing mechanics place one gender at a higher risk than the other by examining modeled biomechanical differences between male- and female-patterned lower-limb systems during simulated drop landings. The guiding research question was: “How do modeled biomechanical differences between male- and female-patterned lower-limb systems affect landing mechanics during simulated drop landings?” This project is important because understanding how risky landing mechanics develop can help researchers, coaches, athletic trainers, and medical professionals improve injury-prevention strategies. By using computational modeling instead of human testing, this study contributes to biomechanics research by demonstrating how simulations can efficiently and safely analyze movement patterns. The hypothesis stated that “If male- and female-patterned biomechanical models with similar initial conditions complete identical simulated jump-landing tests, then the female-patterned models will display ACL-risk landing factors more often than the male-patterned models.” The independent variable was the type of biomechanical model (male- or female-patterned), and the dependent variables were peak impact force (Newtons), knee joint angle behavior (degrees), and stabilization time (seconds). Constants included drop height, ground conditions, gravitational acceleration, and simulation settings. Data was collected using OpenSim simulation software. Results showed that the female-patterned model produced higher average peak impact forces (2220N vs. 1850N), greater knee joint angles (22.18º vs. 14.82º), and longer stabilization times (1.31s vs. 0.918s) than the male-patterned model. These findings indicate that the hypothesis was supported.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Medicine & Physiology (Junior Division) · Entry J-15-22

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