| HOME | HELP | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
|
|
|||||||
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools. |
|||||||||
,
,
From the * Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center and Human Performance Laboratory, the Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation, and the Departments of Pediatrics, Orthopaedic Surgery and College of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
Address correspondence to Timothy E. Hewett, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 10001, Cincinnati, OH 45229 (e-mail: tim.hewett{at}cchmc.org).
Background: Female athletes have increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament rupture after the onset of puberty.
Hypotheses: Male athletes would demonstrate a longitudinal increase in vertical jump height compared with female athletes. There would be longitudinal gender differences in ground-reaction forces and loading rates.
Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.
Methods: Sixteen female and 17 male adolescent athletes were evaluated for 2 consecutive years. Subjects were included if they were classified as pubertal during the first year of testing and postpubertal during the second year. As subjects performed a drop vertical jump, ground-reaction force, and vertical jump height were measured. Data analysis consisted of a mixed design analysis of variance with post hoc analysis (paired t tests).
Results: The male athletes demonstrated increased vertical jump height with maturation (P < .001); female athletes did not. Boys significantly reduced their landing ground-reaction force (P = .005), whereas girls did not. Takeoff force decreased in girls (P = .003) but not in boys. Both boys and girls had decreased loading rates with maturation (P < .001); however, girls had higher loading rates than did boys at both stages of maturation (P = .037).
Conclusion: Male athletes demonstrated a neuromuscular spurt as evidenced by increased vertical jump height and increased ability to attenuate landing force. The absence of similar adaptations in female athletes may be related to the increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Key Words: puberty • vertical jump height • ACL • landing forces • gender • neuromuscular
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  G D Myer, J L Brent, K R Ford, and T E Hewett A pilot study to determine the effect of trunk and hip focused neuromuscular training on hip and knee isokinetic strength Br. J. Sports Med., July 1, 2008; 42(7): 614 - 619. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. A. Keller State of the Art Reviews: Development of Fitness in Children: The Influence of Gender and Physical Activity American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, February 1, 2008; 2(1): 58 - 74. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. E. Hewett, B. T. Zazulak, and G. D. Myer Effects of the Menstrual Cycle on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk: A Systematic Review Am. J. Sports Med., April 1, 2007; 35(4): 659 - 668. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. Hewett, L. Snyder-Mackler, K. P. Spindler, F. R. Noyes, and S. D. Barber-Westin Letters to the Editor * Authors' Response Am. J. Sports Med., January 1, 2007; 35(1): 145 - 147. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
