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Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects Department of Physical Therapy

5-2020

Electromyographic Activity of Hamstrings and Quadriceps Muscle Electromyographic Activity of Hamstrings and Quadriceps Muscle

During Jumping and Landing: Pilot Study During Jumping and Landing: Pilot Study

Shawn Danielson University of North Dakota

Logan Flegel University of North Dakota

Nathan Mertens University of North Dakota

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Danielson, Shawn; Flegel, Logan; and Mertens, Nathan, "Electromyographic Activity of Hamstrings and Quadriceps Muscle During Jumping and Landing: Pilot Study" (2020). Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects. 706. https://commons.und.edu/pt-grad/706

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Electromyographic Activity of Hamstrings and Quadriceps Muscle During Jumping and Landing: Pilot Study

By

Shawn Danielson, SPT Logan Flegel, SPT

Nathan Mertens, SPT Isaiah Schwindt, SPT

A Scholarly Project Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the

Department of Physical Therapy

School of Medicine

University of North Dakota

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Grand Forks, North Dakota May, 2020

This Scholarly Project, submitted by Shawn Danielson, Logan Flegel, Nathan Mertens, and Isaiah Schwindt in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of North Dakota, has been read by the Advisor and Chairperson of Physical Therapy under whom the work has been done and is hereby approved.

~~~~ (Graduate School Advisor)

11

Title

Department

Degree

PERMISSION

Electromyographic Activity of Hamstrings and Quadriceps Muscle During Jumping and Landing: Pilot Study

Physical Therapy

Doctor of Physical Therapy

In presenting this Scholarly Project in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the Department of Physical Therapy shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my work or, in his absence, by the Chairperson of the department. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this Scholarly Project or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in this Scholarly Project.

Signature

Signature

Signature

Signature

Date

111

!!:tf ·ft4~ cL~~:;;;11

11 ., 1- I 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................... V

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................ vi

ABSTRACT .............................................................................................. vii

CHAPTER

I. METHODS ............................................................................. 1

II. RESULTS ............................................................................... 3

Ill. DISCUSSION/LIMITATIONS .................................................. 8

IV. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................... 10

REFERENCES ........................................................................................ 11

iv

UST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Quadriceps and Hamstring Activity During Single Jump Landing ................................................................................. 5

Figure 2. Quadriceps and Hamstring Activity During Triple Jump Landing .................................................................................. 6

Figure 3. Maximum Knee Flexion During Jumping and Landing ................................................................................ 7

V

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to all the participants who gave their time to participate in this

research study. Thank you to our advisor, Thomas Mohr, for guiding us in this

process and assisting with collection and synthesis of data.

Vl

ABSTRACT

Background and Purpose. The purpose of this pilot study was to see if there

was a difference in the amount of electromyographic (EMG) activity in the

quadriceps (vastus medialis and vastus lateralis) compared to the amount of

EMG activity in the hamstrings (biceps femoris and semitendinosus) muscles in

active male and female subjects during vertical jumping and landing. In addition,

we looked at the amount of knee flexion that occurred shortly after landing from a

vertical jump. Methods. EMG activity was recorded using a Noraxont TeleMyo

DTS telemetry unit with a sampling rate of 1 kHz. EMG data was recorded during

vertical jumping and landing. EMG activity in the quadriceps muscle and

hamstring muscles were monitored during the experiment. The subject was also

captured on video using the NiNox 125/250 FPS camera system. Subjects

consisted of four male and six female athletes in good physical condition with no

previous knee pathologies. Results. Differences were found in the quadriceps to

hamstrings ratio when comparing female to male participants in both single jump

(Female 4.31:1, Male 2.41:1) and triple jump landing (Female 3.56:1, Male

2.0:1). Females generally showed higher percent of maximal voluntary

contraction in the quadriceps than the males when compared for both jumps. The

amount of knee flexion upon landing were similar between genders in both the

single and triple jump/landing test. Conclusion. The results of this study

Vll

showed quadriceps dominance in females as compared to males when landing

from a jump. Previous studies have theorized that this level of dominance creates

tensile force on the AGL, leading to increased incidence of AGL tears. Strength

training focused on hamstring activation with a proper quadriceps to hamstrings

ratio should be implemented when preventing AGL injuries especially in the

female population. Further research is needed to confirm these conclusions and

demonstrate clinical relevance.

vm

CHAPTER 1

Methods

EMG activity was recorded using a Noraxon TeleMyo DTS telemetry unit

with a sampling rate of 1 kHz. The EMG data was recorded from the vastus

medialis, vastus lateralis (quadriceps), biceps femoris and semitendinosus

(hamstrings) muscles using the Noraxon Model 546 DTS EMG sensor system

which transmitted the EMG data to a Noraxon Model 580 DTS receiver

connected to a laptop computer which stored the collected data. The Noraxon

MyoVideo system, using a NiNox 125/250 camera system was used to record

the knee motion.

The muscles tested were on the right side on all subjects. Before applying

the EMG electrodes the skin was abraded and cleaned. The DTS sensors were

attached to skin using double stick tape. The EMG electrodes were placed

according to standard placement sites.1,2

A footswitch pad was placed in the right shoe of each subject to detect the

times when the subject's foot left the floor and when the subject's foot first

touched the floor after landing from the jumps. Before beginning the jump

activities, a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) was elicited from each of the

four muscles using a standard manual muscle test position. The MVC was

performed to establish a normalization baseline for comparison of the individual

subject's EMG activity.

1

Ten subjects participated in the experiment. Four of the subjects were

male and six of the subjects were female. All of the subjects were healthy, active

college students with no prior history of knee injuries.

2

CHAPTER II

Results

In single jump landing, both the male and female participants

demonstrated higher levels of quadriceps activity than hamstring activity as

measured by percent maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) (Figure 1 ). The

%MVC of quadriceps activity in both female participants was higher than in

males. The vastus medialis demonstrated a slightly greater %MVC contraction

than the vastus lateralis (127% vs 126%, respectively) in the female participants.

The vastus medialis demonstrated a slightly lower %MVC contraction than the

vastus lateralis (61 % vs 65%, respectively) in the male participants. The

hamstring muscle that showed the lowest %MVC was the semitendinosus in both

the male and female participants.

The ratio of the quadriceps to the hamstring muscles for the single jump in

males was 2.41 :1 as compared to 4.31 :1 in females. The male subjects

demonstrated similar degrees of knee flexion upon landing, with the lowest

subject at 87.5 degrees and the highest at 101 degrees (Figure 3). Female

subjects had more variable knee flexion upon landing, with one showing 118

degrees and another 74.6 degrees of knee flexion.

During triple jump landing, female participants demonstrated the greatest

EMG activity in the vastus medialis (Figure 2). Once again, the smallest %MVC

activity was demonstrated in the semitendinosus for both gender groups. The

3

ratio of the quadriceps to the hamstring muscles in males was 2.0:1 as compared

to 3.56: 1 for females. In the triple jump, the females had a higher degree of knee

flexion as compared to their results in the single jump, and as compared to males

(Figure 3). The female subjects demonstrated 97.3 degrees and 98.5 degrees of

maximal knee flexion upon landing from the jumps. The male subjects

demonstrated 95.9 degrees and 96.7 degrees of knee flexion upon landing.

4

(

Figure 1. Quadriceps and Hamstring Activity During Single Jump Landing.

140.0 ■ Females ■ Males

120.0

100.0 u > ~ ..., 80.0 0 .... C 8 60.0 I,,,

a, c..

40.0

( . 20.0

0.0

VM VL BF ST

Muscles

5

(

Figure 2. Quadriceps and Hamstring Activity During Triple Jump Landing.

200 ■ Females ■ Males

180

160

140 u >120 ~ ~

~100 C: QJ u 80 .... QJ 0.

60

40

20

0 VM VL BF ST

Muscles

(

6

(

Figure 3. Maximum Knee Flexion During Jumping and Landing.

99 ■ Females ■ M ales

C 98.5 0 ·x 98 cu

LL. 97.5 cu cu 97 C ~ .... 96.5 0 II)

96 cu OJ I,.,

b0 95.5 cu C 95

( 94.5

Single Jump Triple Jump

(

7

CHAPTER Ill

Discussion/limitations

The results of this study appear to agree with previous studies regarding

the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio in males versus females during

jumping and landing. That is, females tend to use a higher level of muscle

contraction in their quadriceps relative to their hamstring muscles than males,

during landing from a jump. A literature review found that multiple articles that

have analyzed the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio between males and

females showing differences in quadriceps and hamstring activity between males

and females when landing from a jump.3-5 Ebben et al.6 found that men

demonstrated greater lateral and medial hamstring activation than women during

jump landings and cutting. Men also showed greater pre-contact activation of

both medial and lateral hamstrings than women. These findings are consistent

with the results of our study. Other research has shown knee flexion upon

landing from a jump to be negatively correlated with quadriceps dominance in

individuals.2 The dominance of the quadriceps causes a lack of knee flexion

which increases the anterior translation of the tibia and increases the tensile

force on the AGL upon landing from a jump. This landing strategy may lead to a

predisposition for AGL injuries.

8

Previous studies have examined the value of hamstring training to lower

the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio when jumping and prevent injury. A

recent systematic review found that two legged squats were not effective in

improving the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio in participants.7 The same

authors found single leg exercises that were performed between 30 and 90

degrees of knee flexion improved the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio in

participants. It was concluded that single leg exercises are preferred to reduce

quadriceps dominance an anterior tensile force on the AGL.

limitations

There were only ten participants involved in this study to explore the

differences in EMG activity between males and females. Future studies should

include more participants to allow a better representation with adequate power to

allow statistical analysis. The study did not take into account the athletic level of

participants, which may result in subject variation.

9

CHAPTER IV

Conclusions

Prior research has shown that the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio

is significant in preventing AGL injuries, and it requires a balance between the

two major muscle groups, since the hamstrings act to prevent the anterior

translation of the tibia on the femur. Although we did find differences in EMG

activity between the male and female participants, this study was a pilot study

and our findings were not significant enough to make a generalized statement

about the recruitment of the quadriceps versus hamstring muscle groups.

However, since this is a pilot study, we recommend further exploration into the

activation time and recruitment in addition to the muscle strength between male

and females that might account for the differences in EMG activity during jumping

and landing.

10

REFERENCES

1. Criswell E (ed). Gram's Introduction to Surface Electromyography. Ed 2.

Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett; 2011.

2. Hermans HJ et al. SENIAM: European Recommendations for Surface

Electromyography. Enschede, the Netherlands: Roessingh Research and

Development; 1999.

3. Ford KR, Myer GD, Schmitt LC, Uhl TL, Hewett TE. Preferential quadriceps

activation in female athletes with incremental increases in landing intensity. J

Appl Biomech. 2011 ;27(3):215-222.

4. Walsh M, Boling MC, McGrath M, Blackburn JT, Padua DA. Lower extremity

muscle activation and knee flexion during a jump-landing task. J Athl Train.

2012 Jul-Aug;47(4):406-13.

5. Benche J, Aagaard P, Zebis MK. Muscle activation during ACL injury risk

movements in young female athletes: A narrative review. Front Physiol.

2018;(9):1-10. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.00445

6. Ebben WP, Fauth ML, Petushek EJ, Garceau LR, Hsu BE, Lutsch BN,

Feldmann CR. Gender-based analysis of hamstring and quadriceps muscle

activation during jump landings and cutting. J Strength Cond Res. 2010

Feb;24(2):408-15.

11

7. Dedinsky R, Baker L, lmbus S, Bowman M, Murray L. Exercises that facilitate

optimal hamstring and quadriceps co-activation to help decrease ACL injury

risk in health females: A systematic review of the literature. Int J Sports Phys

Ther. 2017 Feb;12(1):3-15

12

Electromyographic Activity of Hamstrings and Quadriceps Muscle During Jumping and Landing: Pilot Study

By: Isaiah Schwindt, Logan Flegal, Nathan Mertens, Shawn Danielson

Abstract Background and Purpo!e. 1ne purpose of this pilol study was to see if there was a difference in the amoWll of electromyographic (EMG) activity in the quadriceps (vastus medial is and vastus lnteralis) compared to the amount of EMG activity in the hamstrings (biceps femoris and semitcndinosus) muscles in aclive male and female subjects during vertical jumping and landing. In addition, we looked at the amount of knee flexion that occurred shortly after landing from a vertical jump. Method! EMG activity was recorded using a Nora ... ont TeleMyo DIS telemetry unit with a sampling rate of I kHz. EMG data was recorded during vertical jumping and landing. EMG activity in the quadriceps muscle and hnmslring muscles were moni1orcd during the c:q,crimcnl The subject was also captured on video using lhe NiNox 125/250 FPS camera system. Subjects consisted of four male and six female nthletes in good physical condition with no previous knee pathologies. Result, Differences were fowid in the quadriceps to hamstrings ratio when comparing female to male participants in both single jump (Female 4.31: l ,Ma1e 2.4 1 :I ) and uiplejump landing (Female 3.56: I , Male 2.0: I ). Femnlcs generally showed higher percent of ma.ximal voluntary contrnction in the quadriceps than the males when compared for both jumps. The amount of knee flexion upon landing were similar between genders in both the single and uiple jump/landing test. Conclusion The results of this study showed quadriceps dominance in females as compared to males when landing from n jump. Previous studies have theorized that this level of dominance creates tensile force on the ACL, leading to increased incidence of ACL tears. Strength training focused on hamstring activation with a proper quadriceps to hamstrings ratio should be implemented when preventing ACL injuries especially in the fema1e population. Further rescnrch is needed to confinn these conclusions and demonstrate clinical relevance.

Methods EMG activity was recorded using a Nora.xon TeleMyo DTS telemetry unit with a sampling rate of I kH7_ The EMG data wns recorded from the vl'.l.Slus medialis, vast us lateralis (quadriceps), biceps femoris and semitendinosus (hamstrings) muscles using the Nora.xon Model 546 OTS EMG sensor system which transmitted the EMG data to a Noraxon Model 580 DTS receiver connected to a laptop computer which stored the collected data. The Nora.xon Myo Video system, using a NiNox 125/250 camera system was used to record the knee motion. The muscles tested were on the right side on all subjects. Before applying the EMG electrodes the skin was abraded and cleaned The DTS sensors were attached to skin using double stick tape. The EMG electrodes were placed according to standard placement sites.1·1

A footswitch pad was placed in the right shoe of each subject to detect the times when the subject's foot left the floor and when the subject's foot first touched the floor after landing from the jumps. Before beginning the jump activities, a ma.ximal voluntary contraction (MVC) was elicited from each of the four muscles using a standard manual muscle test position. The MVC was performed to establish a normalization baseline for comparison of the individual subject's EMG activity. Ten subjects participated in the experiment. Four of the subjects were male and six of the subjects were female. All of the subjects were healthy, active college students with no prior history of knee injuries.

Results In single jump landing, both the male and female participants demonstrated higher levels of quadriceps activity than hamstring activity as measured by percent ma.x.i.mwn voluntary contraction (%MVC) (Figw-c I). The %MVC of quadriceps activity in both female participants was higher than in males. The vastus medialis demonstrated a greater %MVC contraction than the vastus lateralis in the female participants. The quadriceps muscle that showed the lowest amount of activation in both males and fema.les was the vastus mcdialis. The hamstring muscle that showed the lowest %MVC was the scmitendinosus. The ratio of the quadriceps to the hamstring muscles for the single jump in males was 2.41 :I as compared to 4.31 :I in females.

The ma.le subjects demonstrated similar degrees of knee flexion upon landing, with the lowest subject at 87.5degrees and the highest at IOI degrees (Figure 3). Female subjects had more variable knee flexion upon landing, with one showing 118 degrees and another74.6degreesofknecflexion.

During triple jump landing, femnle participants demonstrated the greatest EMG activity in the vl'.l.Slus medialis (Figure 2). Once again, the smallest %MVC activity was demonstrated in the semitcndinosus for both gender groups. The ratio of the quadriceps to the hamstring muscles in males was 2.0: 1 as compared to 3.56: 1 for females. In the triple jump, the females had a higher degree of knee flex.ion as compared to their results in the single jump, and as compared to males (Figure 3). The female subjects demonstrated 97.3 degrees and 98.5 degrees of maximal knee flex:ion upon landing from the jumps. The male subjects demonsu-ated 95.9 degrees and 96. 7 degrees of knee flexion upon landing.

Discussion/Limitations The results of this study appears to agree with previous literature regarding the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio in males versus females. Thal is, females tend to use a higher level of muscle contraction in their quadriceps relative to their hamstring muscles than males, during landing from a jump. A literature review found that multiple articles that have analyzed the quadriceps lo hamstring muscles ratio between males and femalcs.3-5 Ebben et al.6 found that men demonstrated greater lateral and medial hamstring activation than women during jump landings and cutting. Men also showed greater pre-contact activation of both medial and lateral hamstrings than women. These findings are consistent with the results of our study. Other research has shown knee flexion upon landing from a jump to be negatively correlated with quadriceps dominance in individuals.1 The dominance of the quadriceps causes II lack of knee flexion caused by dominant quadriceps activity which increase the tensile force on the ACL upon landing from II jump. This landing strategy may lead to a predisposition for ACL injuries.

Previous studies have examined the value of hamstring training to lower the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio when jumping and prevent injwy. A recent systematic review found that two legged squats were not effective in improving the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio in participants.' The same authors found single leg exercises that were performed between 30 and 90 degrees of knee fl cxion to improve the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio in participants. It was concluded that single leg exercises nrc preferred to reduce quadriceps dominance an anterior tensile force on the ACL.

Limitations There were only ten participants involved in this study to e,qilore the differences in EMG activity between males and females. Future studies should include more participants to allow a better representation with adequate power to allow statistical analysis. The study did not take into account the athletic level of participants, which may result in subject variation.

Experiments Figure 1. Quadriceps and Hamstring Activity During Single J ump Landing.

a,

~ ..

I I I Vastus Medinlis (VM), Vastus Latcralis (VL), Biceps Fcmoris (BF), Semitendinosus (ST)

I

Figure 2. Quadriceps and Hamstr ing Activity During Triple J ump Landing.

~120

i\00 ,~

I I I I Figure 3. Maximum Knee Flex.ion During J umping and Landing.

I I

f I\. r.\ SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ' U 'l'V & HEALTH SCIENCES • THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA

Conclusions

Prior research has shown that the quadriceps to hamstring muscles ratio is significant in preventing ACL injuries, and it requires a balance between the two major muscle groups, since the hamstrings act lo prevent the anterior translation of the tibia on the femur. Although we did find differences in EMG activity between the male and female participants. Since this study was a pilot study, our findings were not significant enough to make a generalized statement about the recruitment of the quadriceps versus hamstring muscle groups. We recommend further e.,-ploration into the activation time and recruitment in addition to the muscle strength between male and females that might account for the differences in EMG activity during jumping and landing.

References I. Criswell E (ed). Cram's Introduction to Surface Electromyography. Ed 2. Boston,

MA: Jones and Bartlett; 2011. 2. Hcnnans HJ et al. SENIAM: Ew-opean Recommendations for Surface

Electromyography. Enschede, the Netherlands: Roessingh Research and

Development; 1999. 3. Ford KR, Myer GD, Schmitt LC, Uhl TL, Hewett TE. Preferential quadriceps

activation in female athletes with incremental increases in landing intensity. J Appl Biomech. 2011 ;27(3):2 15-222.

4. Walsh M, Boling MC, McGrath M, Blackbum JT, Padua DA. Lower e.xtrcmity muscle activation and knee flexion during a jump-landing task. J Athl Train. 2012 Jul-Aug;47( 4):406-13.

5. BcncheJ, Aagaard P, Zcbis MK. Muscle activation during ACL injury risk movements in young fem11le athletes: A narrative review. Front Physiol. 2018;(9): 1-10. doi: I 0.3389/fphys.2018.00445

6. Ebben WP, Fauth ML, Pctushek EJ, Garceau LR, Hsu BE, Lutsch BN, Feldmann CR Gender-based analysis of hamstring and quadriceps muscle activation during jump landings and cutting. J S1m1g1h Cond Res. 20 IO Feb;24(2):408-l 5.

7. Dcdinsl..-y R, Baker L, Im bus S, Bowman M, Murray L. Exercises that faci li tate optimnl hamstring and quadriceps co-activation to help decrease ACL injury risk in health females: A systematic review of the literature. 1111 J Spom Phys Ther. 2017 Feb; 12(1 ):3-15.

I I\. T:'\ SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ' U 'le/ & HEALTH SCIENCES THE. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA