A preliminary study on the differences in male and female muscle force distribution patterns during squatting and lunging maneuvers

In the United States, 250,000 people tear their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) annually with females at higher risk of ACL failure than males. By predicting muscle forces during low impact maneuvers we may be able to estimate possible muscle imbalances that could lead to ACL failure during highly dynamic maneuvers. The purpose of this initial study was to predict muscle forces in males and females similar in size and activity level, during squat and lunge maneuvers. We hypothesized that during basic low impact maneuvers (a) distribution of quadriceps forces are different in males and females and (b) females exhibit quadriceps dominance when compared to males. Two males and three females performed squatting and lunging maneuvers while electromyography (EMG) data, motion capture data, and ground reaction forces were collected. Nine individual muscle forces for muscles that cross the knee were estimated using an EMG-driven model. Results suggest that males activate their rectus femoris muscle more than females, who in turn activate their vastus lateralis muscle at their maximum flexion angle, and more their vastus medialis muscle when ascending from a squat. During the lunge maneuver, males used greater biceps femoris force than females, throughout the lunge, and females exhibited higher semitendinosus force. Quadriceps dominance was evident in both males and females during the prescribed tasks, and there was no statistical difference between genders. Understanding individual muscle force distributions in males and females during low impact maneuvers may provide insights regarding failure mechanisms during highly dynamic maneuvers, when ACL injuries are more prevalent.