Activation, strength, and resistance: Which variables predict the kinematics of women with and without patellofemoral pain?

Investigating the possible relationship between neuromuscular changes and movement alterations could help to describe the mechanisms underlying patellofemoral pain (PFP). To investigate whether activation and muscle strength of the trunk and lower limb and muscle resistance of the trunk predict the knee frontal and trunk sagittal kinematics in women with and without PFP. Sixty women (PFP, n = 30; asymptomatic, n = 30) underwent the single-leg squat test to collect electromyographic and kinematic data. Activation of transversus abdominis/internal oblique, gluteus medius (GMed), and vastus medialis oblique (VMO); knee frontal and trunk sagittal angles were analyzed. Participants also underwent maximal isometric tests to determine lateral trunk, hip abductor, and knee extensor torques and performed a lateral trunk resistance test. Multiple regression was used to determine predictive models. In the PFP group, knee frontal angle (R Kinematics is predicted by the muscles acting in the respective planes, such that hip abductors capacities are related to the knee frontal alignment in both groups, and that of the VMO is related to the trunk sagittal alignment only in asymptomatic women.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.