association between cognitive function and mechanical pattern of landing

Introduction: in examining the factors affecting sports injuries, the emphasis is always onphysical variables, while cognitive and psychological characteristics can also be effective.hence, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between sustained attention asa neurocognitive function and landing error as a mechanical factor associated with lower limbinjuries.materials and methods: 44 female basketball players aged 18-25 years at the nationalleague level participated in this study. the participants were assessed using the continuousperformance test, and their landing-jumping was evaluated by the landing error scoring systemin two conditions of high and low cognitive load.results: the results showed that people’s landing errors increased significantly as a resultof increased cognitive needs (p=0.0001). also, the findings revealed a positive correlationbetween omission and commission errors with landing error scores in both low and highcognitive load conditions (p<0.05).conclusion: sustained attention could predict the landing error score that is considered akey risk factor of lower limb injuries. it is recommended that multiple cognitive and physicalassessments be used to identify athletes at risk of injury. hence, cognitive enhancementprotocols may be effective along with physical preparation programs.