Neuromuscular training improves muscle co‐activation and knee kinematics in female athletes with high risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Ramezani, Farzaneh Saki, Farzaneh Tahayori, Behdad
Description	Highlights Dynamic knee valgus (DKV) is a risk factor for identifying women with a risk of lower extremity injuries.Muscle activity patterns of the hip and ankle, such as DKV, may be modifiable through neuromuscular training.Neuromuscular training with feedback could reduce excessive DKV at a clinically meaningful level.
Abstract	Neuromuscular deficits at the proximal or distal to the knee may contribute to knee valgus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. A valgus or abducted position of the knee greater than 12° for females is suggested to be an indicator of the risk of lower extremity injuries. However, there is a lack of examination regarding neuromuscular patterns in both proximal and distal kinetic chains. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of neuromuscular training on knee valgus and co‐activation of the hip and ankle muscles during a countermovement jump in female athletes with a high risk of ACL injury. Twenty‐eight female athletes, with knee valgus greater than 12°, were randomly assigned into two groups: training (n = 14) and control (n = 14). The following measurements were taken before and after the intervention: co‐activation of Gluteus Maximus‐Tensor Fasciae Latae (GMax‐TFL), Gluteus Medius‐Adductor Longus (GMed‐AL), Tibialis Anterior‐Medial Gastrocnemius (TA‐MG), Tibialis Anterior‐Lateral Gastrocnemius (TA‐LG), Medial Gastrocnemius‐Lateral Gastrocnemius (MG‐LG) muscles, and DKV angle during single‐leg countermovement jump task. Following the intervention, the training group demonstrated increased co‐activation of muscles (except TA‐LG) (P < 0.05). The knee valgus angle in the training group decreased by 5.9° (P = 0.001). Our results demonstrated that neuromuscular training alters muscle activity patterns and the neuromuscular group demonstrated a clinically meaningful and statistical reduction in knee valgus.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC11235733&blobtype=pdf
Page Count	10
ISSN	17461391
Volume Number	24
DOI	10.1002/ejsc.12046
PubMed Central reference number	PMC11235733
Issue Number	1
PubMed reference number	PMC11235733
Journal	European Journal of Sport Science [Eur J Sport Sci]
e-ISSN	15367290
Language	English
Publisher	John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Publisher Date	2024-01-01
Publisher Place	Hoboken
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. © 2024 The Authors. European Journal of Sport Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH on behalf of European College of Sport Science.
Subject Keyword	anterior cruciate ligament dynamic knee valgus electromyography exercise therapy primary prevention
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Sports Science