Shweta Shenoy
Priyanka Sharma
J. S. Sandhu
Neuromuscular fatigue (NMF) influences lower limb control during cutting which is likely to increase anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk. Current literature does not evidence the effect of quadriceps fatigue on activity of gluteal muscles during land-cut tasks. The primary aim of the study was to examine the effect of quadriceps fatigue on the average EMG activity of gluteal muscles (gluteus maximum, gluteus medius) in athletes during the box drop cutting maneuver (BDCM). A “within subject experimental design” was used. Twenty recreational and 20 professional athletes volunteered for the study. In a single study testing session, participants performed BDCM, before and after induction of NMF. Surface electromyographic (EMG) activity of the vastus medialis (VM), medial Gastrocnemius (GS), gluteus medius (GM), and gluteus maximum ( GX) was recorded for each subject. All data was analyzed with paired t test, ANOVA with bonferroni correction. Paired t test revealed a significant decrease (p?0.05) in VM average EMG activity, whereas a significant increase was observed in GM (p<0.05) and GX (p<0.05) average EMG activity after induction of NMF. ANOVA did not show any significant differences in average EMG activity of GS (p>0.05), GM (p>0.05), GX (p> 0.05) in recreational athletes and professional athletes whereas VM muscle was significant (p?0.002) post NMF after bonferroni correction. The research findings indicated a negative correlation between VM and GM, GX muscles. Increased GM activity may add o the valgus forces on the knee and makes athlete prone to ACL injury after NMF. Also a decreased stance time was observed with the increased activity of GS, suggesting an increase in activity of GS is correlated with stance time.
