Intrasession and Intersession Reliability of Quadriceps' and Hamstrings' Electromyography During a Standardized Hurdle Jump Test With Single Leg Landing

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a standardized test to determine quadriceps and hamstrings muscle activation in a position emulating a noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury. We assessed the intrasession and intersession reliability of surface electromyography (EMG) of the dominant leg after single-leg landing from a standardized hurdle jump. Eighteen subjects (10 males, 8 females) participated in 4 repeated sessions. During each session, individuals performed 3 successful jumps over a hurdle set to 75% of their maximal countermovement jump height and landed on their dominant leg. A jump was only considered successful if the individual could maintain the landing position for longer than 2 seconds after initial ground contact. In one of the 4 sessions, subjects were tested again after a 4-minute rest. The activation of the vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), and biceps femoris (BF), were examined by quantifying the root mean squared (RMS) EMG for 2 seconds immediately after the initial contact. Data from all 3 successful jumps were used to generate intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), which were then used to determine intrasession and intersession reliability of surface EMG for each muscle. Intrasession reliability was excellent with ICC values of 0.96, 0.94, and 0.93 for the VL, VM, and BF, respectively. Additionally, intersession ICCs were 0.92 (VL), 0.95 (VM), and 0.94 (BF). The standardized hurdle jump with single-leg landing seemed to be a reliable technique for measuring muscle activation for 3 muscles that contribute to knee stabilization.

Long-Term Bilateral Neuromuscular Function and Knee Osteoarthritis after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

“…Because the current ancillary study involved only a subset of the parent RCT subjects, we do not have adequate statistical power to explore the main and/or interaction effects of graft tension and sex on neuromuscular function and PTOA risk at this time. Thirdly, while a repeatability analysis was not performed, the EMG measurements are reasonably repeatable since: (a) standardized methods of EMG placement and recording were practiced, and (b) EMG recordings during similar movements (e.g., hurdling, jumping, cutting) have been shown to be reliable and reproducible [57]. Lastly, we do not know the timing of contralateral limb muscle activation changes and their potential response to targeted intervention, which could be the topic of future studies.…”

Factors affecting knee abduction during weight-bearing activities in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

“…Whilst there is some evidence of good to excellent within-session reliability for trunk and lower extremity muscles in some tasks (i.e. running and single leg landings) [51,52], prior to further investigation of the role of muscle activation patterns in knee abduction kinematics, it is recommended that test-retest reliability is established in a larger cohort of individuals with ACL deficiency and ACLR. Fifth, we only included patients with ACLR.…”