Did you know that by analyzing the muscle activation time of the quadriceps it is possible to determine the risk of an ACL injury?
This interesting study conducted by prof. Antonio Ammendolia of the “Magna Græcia” University of Catanzaro and the his team, analyzes a group of 20 soccer players (men and women) and compares the activation time of the quadriceps and hamstrings during a jump from a step. The test was performed with our inertial sensor G-WALK and with 4 probes of our FREEEMG1000 positioned on quadriceps and hamstrings.
All men showed a low risk, linked to the correct activation of all the muscles examined. The vastus medialis, on the other hand, is the muscle that in women showed a delayed activation, causing an increase in the anterior cutting force, which is an important risk factor for incurring an ACL injury.
A test therefore easy and immediate to perform, which turns out to be a tool for the screening of high risk athletes and to direct interventions to specific imbalances that can increase the risk of injury.
