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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 35/11/1901    most recent 0363546507307400v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Landry, S. C. Articles by Deluzio, K. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Landry, S. C. Articles by Deluzio, K. J. Related Collections Injury Kinematics and kinetics Children and Adolescents Female Athletes Soccer

Neuromuscular and Lower Limb Biomechanical Differences Exist Between Male and Female Elite Adolescent Soccer Players During an Unanticipated Run and Crosscut Maneuver

Scott C. Landry, PhD^,*, Kelly A. McKean, MASc, Cheryl L. Hubley-Kozey, PhD^,, William D. Stanish, MD, FRCS(C), FACS and Kevin J. Deluzio, PhD^||

From the School of Biomedical Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, School of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, and ^|| Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada

^* Address correspondence to Scott C. Landry, PhD, 5981 University Avenue, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 3J5 (e-mail: landrys{at}dal.ca).

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.

Hypothesis: Lower limb biomechanical and/or neuromuscular differences between male and female soccer players will be identified during unanticipated running and cutting maneuvers.

Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods: A complete 3-dimensional kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic analysis of the lower limb for an unanticipated straight-run and crosscut maneuver was performed on 42 (male, 21; female, 21) elite adolescent soccer players.

Results: For both maneuvers, female players had greater lateral gastrocnemius activity, normalized to maximal voluntary isometric contractions, and demonstrated a mediolateral gastrocnemii imbalance that was not present in male players. Rectus femoris activity for both maneuvers and vastus medialis and lateralis activity for the straight run only were also greater in female than in male athletes. Other notable differences captured for the maneuvers included female players having reduced hamstring activity, a reduced hip flexion moment, a reduced hip flexion angle, and an increased ankle eversion angle throughout stance compared with male players.

Conclusion: This is one of the first studies to identify gastrocnemii differences between genders as a possible anterior cruciate ligament injury risk factor. Additional biomechanical and neuromuscular differences were also identified as potential risk factors.

Clinical Relevance: These findings provide insight into the noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury gender bias and may help improve preventive training programs.

Key Words: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury • electromyography (EMG) • gender • kinematics • kinetics • crosscut • running • unanticipated