Comparison of the Electromyographic Activity of Trunk and Hip Muscles during the Single Leg Jump-Landing in Men with and without Genu Varum

Genu Varum is one of the most common malalignments of lower limb but not a lot of attention have been paid to the biomechanics of lower extremities and the muscle activities while performing the sport specific tasks in the persons. The aim of the present study was to compare the Electromyographic activity of trunk and hip muscles during the single leg jump-landing in men with and without Genu Varum.

A total of 30 athletes (15 with genu Verum and 15 without this malalignment) participated in the current cross-sectional study. Genu Varum was assessed using Bone Caliper with the accuracy of 0.01 mm. Participants performed the jump-landing on a forces Plate (Model ver 3.0.2, Danesh Salar Iranian Co.). The electromyography activities of muscles were recorded using the EMG and 100 milliseconds before and after the initial contact. MATLAB software was used for data analysis. For the statistical analysis, the independent t-test with the significance level of o≤0.05 was used.

There were no significant differences in the activity of biceps femoris and semitendinosus muscles between the two groups, but there were significant differences in the mean values of gluteus Medius (P=0.001) and quadratus lumborum (P=0.002) activity between the groups (P<0.05).

According to the results, it seems that the Genu Varum is effective on the biomechanics of jump-landing and it is associated with reduced activity in the gluteus Medius and quadratus lumborum muscles. These changes may be associated with reduced lateral stability and increased risk of injuries in the athletes.