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MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS DIFFER BETWEEN CYCLISTS WITH PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN AND THOSE WITHOUT

B.P. Dieter

Abstract

B.P. Dieter

University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) syndrome is pervasive and debilitating in the sport of cycling. It occurs in 36% of professional cyclists and has been shown to account for more than 57% of all time-loss injuries. Despite the body of literature relating to PFP and the high rate of occurrence in cycling, little is known about the underlying mechanisms causing PFP in cyclists. In order to prevent and treat PFP syndrome in the sport of cycling, a clear understanding of the mechanisms responsible for causing the pathology needs to be developed. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in muscle activation patterns (onset and offset time) of the vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), semitendinosus (ST), and biceps femoris (BF) between cyclists with and without PFP during submaximal cycling. METHODS: 10 healthy cyclists (6 female, 4 male; Weight=71.9±16.5 kg; Age=40.2± 12.2 yrs; Cycling Experience=123.9±51.6 miles/week) were matched with 7 cyclists with PFP syndrome (1 female, 6 male; Weight=79.8±9.4 kg; Age 46.4±13.8; Cycling Experience=142±3 miles/week) Each participant completed a 10 min warm-up followed by a 10 min cycling trial during which surface EMG was recorded for the VM, VL, ST, and BF muscles. Sagittal plane knee kinematic data were also recorded using an electrogoniometer. An analysis of variance was conducted to compare differences between groups with alpha level set at 0.05 RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar between groups (p>0.05). No significant difference between groups was found for the relative onset times of the VM and VL (VMVLON) (p=0.805). There were significant differences between groups for the relative offset time of the VM and VL (VMVLOFF) (p=0.032), with the PFP group displaying earlier relative offset time of the VM. There was also a significant difference in the relative onset time of BF and ST (STBFON) (pOFF) (p=0.024) with the PFP group displaying later BF offset. CONCLUSION: These data suggest trained cyclists with PFP syndrome display different muscle activation patterns than asymptomatic cyclists, potentially resulting in altered patellofemoral kinematics.

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