Lower Extremity Muscle Activity During a Women's Overhand Lacrosse Shot

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe lower extremity muscle activity during the lacrosse shot. Participants (n=5 females, age 22±2 years, body height 162.6±15.2 cm, body mass 63.7±23.6 kg) were free from injury and had at least one year of lacrosse experience. The lead leg was instrumented with electromyography (EMG) leads to measure muscle activity of the rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA), and medial gastrocnemius (GA). Participants completed five trials of a warm-up speed shot (Slow) and a game speed shot (Fast). Video analysis was used to identify the discrete events defining specific movement phases. Full-wave rectified data were averaged per muscle per phase (Crank Back Minor, Crank Back Major, Stick Acceleration, Stick Deceleration). Average EMG per muscle was analyzed using a 4 (Phase) × 2 (Speed) ANOVA. BF was greater during Fast vs. Slow for all phases (p<0.05), while TA was not influenced by either Phase or Speed (p>0.05). RF and GA were each influenced by the interaction of Phase and Speed (p<0.05) with GA being greater during Fast vs. Slow shots during all phases and RF greater during Crank Back Minor and Major as well as Stick Deceleration (p<0.05) but only tended to be greater during Stick Acceleration (p=0.076) for Fast vs. Slow. The greater muscle activity (BF, RF, GA) during Fast vs. Slow shots may have been related to a faster approach speed and/or need to create a stiff lower extremity to allow for faster upper extremity movements.

Kinematics of Shooting in High School and Collegiate Lacrosse Players With and Without Low Back Pain

“…Limited evidence from lacrosse, softball, and tennis players shows that the coactivation of lower extremity muscle groups (biceps femoris, rectus femoris, gastrocnemius) and the core (rectus abdominis, external obliques, and lumbar erector spinae) is essential for stabilization of the lower body as the upper body rotates over the pelvis. 6 , 21 , 23 LBP-related lumbar muscle strength deficiencies may foster greater knee flexion to improve the base of support during the throw. On the other hand, a secondary proposed reason for greater knee flexion (bend) is to allow a safe dissipation of linear forces.…”

“… 2 , 11 , 12 , 16 , 32 Like other overhead athletes, lacrosse players develop high ball speeds by generating initial forces at the start of the shot and transferring that energy along the kinetic chain to ball release. 21 , 32 There are several potential factors that can affect force development and timing of the mechanics, including musculoskeletal or joint pain. Alternatively, the high forces generated by the shooting motion itself may place mechanical stresses on the body and may contribute to the development of musculoskeletal pain or injury.…”

Shooting motion in high school, collegiate, and professional men’s lacrosse players

“…We acknowledge that throwing a lacrosse ball indoors is not identical to shooting outdoors. The study of the shot motion is challenging because the player can shoot in a variety of ways (Millard & Mercer, 2014), and players typically must shoot with defensive coverage. The players may be unable to use the full potential of trunk-to-pelvis crossover while on the field.…”

“…Despite the growing popularity, there are relatively few scientific studies of the key motions involved in lacrosse such as shooting. During play, there are several methods of shooting the ball (Millard & Mercer, 2014). Also, there are numerous game situations in which players must adjust their shot motion, such as dodging defencemen, shooting on the run (Millard & Mercer, 2014), and the position of the goalie in the goal.…”

“…During play, there are several methods of shooting the ball (Millard & Mercer, 2014). Also, there are numerous game situations in which players must adjust their shot motion, such as dodging defencemen, shooting on the run (Millard & Mercer, 2014), and the position of the goalie in the goal. These factors have made the standardisation of measurements for lacrosse shots challenging.…”