Comparing activity of the gluteus maximus and hamstring muscles in fatigue conditions between hamstring injury-experienced and inexperienced individuals

• Published in: Journal of bodywork and movement therapies 2024-10, Vol.40, p.1693-1701
• Main Authors: Jaotawipart, Sirinda, Kuruma, Hironobu, Matsumoto, Takuya, Tsutsumi, Shunsuke, Takashina, Hikari, Iwamoto, Nene, Kim, Minjoon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Buttocks; Electromyography; Female; Hamstring Muscles - injuries; Hamstring Muscles - physiology; Humans; Male; Muscle Fatigue - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - injuries; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Running - injuries; Running - physiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1360-8592; 1532-9283; 1532-9283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.09.008

Muscle fatigue is considered a risk factor for hamstring injury (HSI), which occurs during high-speed running. To decrease this risk, higher gluteal muscle activity may have a role to play. This study aimed to compare the muscle activities of the gluteus maximus (GMax) and hamstring (HS) muscles between HSI-experienced and inexperienced people in pre- and post-fatigue conditions during the swing and stance phases of running. Participants were asked to run 13 sets of 20 km/h on the treadmill. GMax and HS muscle activities of the (i) injured and (ii) uninjured legs in the HSI-experienced group and (iii) dominant leg (healthy leg) in the inexperienced group were collected using the first run as pre-fatigue data, and the last (13th) run as post-fatigue data. GMax activity of the injured legs was higher than in the healthy leg during the stance phase in pre-fatigue condition (p