A COMPARISON OF VARIABILITY IN GROUND REACTION FORCE AND KNEE ANGLE PATTERNS BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE ATHLETES (original) (raw)
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Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 2004
Women are more prone to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during cutting sports than men. The purpose of this study was to examine knee kinematic and ground reaction forces (GRF) differences between genders during cutting. Male and female athletes performed cutting trials while force platform and video data were recorded (180 Hz). Differences (p ≤ .05) were observed between groups for knee flexion at contact and GRF at maximum knee flexion. Women averaged 5.8° less flexion at contact and 1.0 N• (kg•m•s −1) −1 greater GRF at maximum flexion. Knee range of motion and peak GRF variables were not significantly different, but women had greater values. Women exhibited technique characteristics believed to increase ACL injury risk, but men exhibiting similar characteristics were also observed and could also be at risk. Keywords anterior cruciate ligament; cutting; female athletes; knee injury Female athletes are at greater risk of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries than male athletes in sports involving sudden deceleration, landing, and cutting (
The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2007
The ACL is often injured when athletes execute running and crosscutting maneuvers during sport activities such as soccer, basketball, and rugby. Approximately 70% to 80% of all ACL injuries are noncontact in nature, 7,31 and compared with male athletes, female athletes are 2 to 8 times more likely to sustain an injury to the ACL. 1,22 Numerous risk factors for noncontact ACL injuries have been identified in the Background: Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries often occur during sports such as soccer and basketball in which cutting or landing maneuvers are frequently performed. These injuries are more common in female athletes, and identifying biomechanical or neuromuscular risk factors related to gender may help with the development of preventive training programs aimed at reducing anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020
Background: There are 2 movement patterns associated with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury: dynamic valgus and stiff landing. Although sex-dependent differences have been identified for adults, less is known for preadolescent athletes regarding movement patterns known to load the ACL. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that girls would demonstrate greater vertical ground reaction forces and knee valgus angles. We further hypothesized that the exercise intervention would affect girls more than boys and that this would primarily be demonstrated in less sagittal plane excursions, increased vertical ground reaction forces and knee valgus moments for girls than for boys. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Male and female soccer and handball players (n = 288; age range, 9-12 years) were recruited. A motion capture system synchronized to a force platform was used to record 5 trials of a cutting maneuver before and after a 5-minute fatigue intervention. Linear mixed mode...
Introduction and Objectives: Higher levels of movement or coordination variability have been reported to provide flexibility and allow adaptations to complex dynamic sport environments [1]. Decreased movement and coordination variability has been previously been reported in females [2] and proposed as a risk factor for injury. The aim of this study was to compare the variability of hip and knee joint kinematics (movement) variability and lower extremity joint and segment coupling (coordination) variability in healthy males and females during a dynamic landing task. There is a scarcity of information on gender differences in coordination and movement variability during dynamic landing and cutting tasks. This information may provide valuable insight to further explain the gender bias of ACL injury, where lower levels of movement and/or coordination variability may increase injury risk. Methods: Ten healthy males and ten healthy females were recruited for this investigation. Participan...
American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2007
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee has an important role in joint stability, particularly in resisting internal rotation and anterior translation of the tibia with respect to the femur. 33 Injury to the ACL can be detrimental to an athlete's career, often requires invasive surgery to repair, is 2 to 8 times more prevalent in women than men, 1,2 and also leads to accelerated osteoarthritic changes to the knee joint. 50 Although the ACL can be injured from a contact blow to the knee, 70% to 80% of the time this ligament is injured during a noncontact maneuver such as landing from a jump or cutting to quickly change directions 8,40 in sports like soccer, basketball, volleyball, and European handball.
Injury, 2007
Background: Studies have shown that women are at higher risk of sustaining noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in specific sports. Recent gait studies of athletic tasks have documented that gender differences in knee movement, muscle activation, and external loading patterns exist. The objective of this study was to determine in a knee cadaver model if application of female-specific loading and movement patterns characterised in vivo for a stop-jump task cause higher ACL strains than male patterns. Methods: Gender-specific loading patterns of the landing phase of the vertical stopjump task were applied to seven cadaver knees using published kinetic/kinematic results for recreational athletes. Loads applied consecutively included: tibial compression, quadriceps, hamstrings, external posterior tibial shear, and tibial torque. Knee flexion was fixed based on the kinematic data. Strain of the ACL was monitored by means of a differential variable reluctance transducer installed on the anteriormedial bundle of the ACL. Findings: The ACL strain was significantly increased (P < 0.05) for the female loading pattern relative to the male loading pattern after the posterior tibial shear force was applied, and showed a similar trend (P = 0.1) to be increased after the final tibial torque was applied.
Gender differences in knee kinematics and its possible consequences
Croatian Medical Journal, 2005
Aim: To analyze anatomic and kinematic characteristics of male and female knees in the sagittal plane. Methods: Ten healthy male and 10 healthy female participants performed extension of their right lower leg in non-weight bearing and weight bearing conditions. The centers of knee joint motion were obtained by videographic motion analysis, and radii of condylar curves were calculated from digitalized X-ray scan. The Knee Roll software was made for this purpose. Results: The extension of the knee in non-weight loaded and weight loaded conditions is a combination of rolling and sliding joint surface motion with 6:5 ratio, in both genders. During the last 20 degrees of the extension of weight loaded male knee, rolling/sliding ratio changed to 8:1 (P<0.05). Average radii of condylar curves were between 4.5 and 1.7 cm medially, and between 3.2 and 1.8 cm laterally, for 0 degrees and 90 degrees flexion contact point, respectively. Gender differences in the radii of condylar curves, after the adjusting to body height were insignificant. Conclusion: A higher proportion of joint surface sliding with consecutive anterior tibial displacement in women indicates more strain during knee extension, potentially making the female anterior cruciate ligament tend and susceptible to injury. The gender differences in the knee kinematics are probably the consequence of different soft tissue structure or its activity, because no difference in the sagittal shape of femoral condyles was noted.
Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 2005
While the increased incidence of serious knee injuries in female athletes is well established, the underlying neuromuscular mechanisms related to the elevated ACL injury rate has yet to be delineated. Video analysis of ACL injury during competitive sports play indicates a common body position associated with non-contact ACL injury; the tibia is externally rotated, the knee is close to full extension, the foot is planted and as the limb is decelerated it collapses into valgus. The purpose of the current prospective study was to evaluate gender differences in quadriceps muscle activation strategies when performing a physically challenging, but reproducible maneuver that mimics the high ACL injury risk position (in the absence of high velocity and high loads). Twenty physically active college-aged subjects (10 male and 10 female) performed multiple sets of the prescribed exercise. EMG recordings were employed to measure the ratio of activation between the medial and lateral quadriceps during the 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20th sets of exercise. Females demonstrated decreased RMS medial-to-lateral quadriceps ratios compared to males (F(1,18) = 5.88, p = 0.026). There was no main effect of set number on RMS quadriceps ratio (p > 0.05). The results of this study suggest that females utilize neuromuscular activation strategies which may contribute to ''dynamic valgus'' and ACL rupture when performing high-risk maneuvers.
American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2005
Examination of the risk factors for and prevention of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries has received considerable attention during the past decade because of the relatively large number of injuries that occur each year. Patients who have suffered this injury must endure a lengthy and costly rehabilitation with long-term consequences that can lead to a decrease in knee function and quality of life. The majority of ACL injuries occur during sports participation and are a result of a noncontact mechanisms of injury. 6,43 This type of ACL injury occurs at a significantly higher rate in female athletes, 1,13,42 which has encouraged the development of injury-prevention training programs. Neuromuscular and biomechanical characteristics identified during simulated sports tasks have been suggested as potential risk factors for the increased injury rates observed in female athletes 24 and are the target of the previously mentioned training programs. Numerous researchers Background: Jumping and landing tasks that have a change in direction have been implicated as a mechanism of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury. Yet, to date, neuromuscular and biomechanical research has focused primarily on straight landing tasks during planned jumps.
Gender differences in knee kinematics during landing from volleyball block jumps
SUMMARY The aims of the present study were to investigate the effects of gender on frontal and sagittal plane knee kinematics in university volleyball players when performing opposed block jump landings. 6 female and 6 male university volleyball players performed volleyball block jumps under opposed conditions. Knee flexion/extension and knee valgus/ varus angles and angular velocities were determined during landing. Knee flexion at ground contact was significantly smaller in females than males. Maximum knee flexion and range of motion of knee flexion was significantly greater in females. In the frontal plane, there was no significant difference between males and females in knee valgus angle on ground contact, but females displayed significantly greater maximum valgus angle and range of motion than males. There was a significant difference in maximum valgus and range of motion between the dominant and non-dominant legs in females, but not in males. Angular velocity of the knees in both frontal and sagittal planes was significantly greater in females than males in the passive phase of landing, but not in the active phase. The gender differences in lower limb alignments when in normal upright standing position do not totally account for the gender differences in landing kinematics. The results appear to indicate less dynamic stability of the knee during landing in females compared to males which may be a contributory factor in the reported greater incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in females.