Influence of gender on coactivation ratio of agonist-antagonist muscle pair during maximum knee contraction

Abstract

Coactivation is the activation of two or more things together. Simultaneous activity of the muscles acting around a joint is known as muscle coactivation. Coactivation of knee muscles is considered to be an important phenomenon for the stabilization of knee joint. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the influence of gender on Coactivation ratio of agonist-antagonist muscle pair during maximum knee contraction in male (n1=10) and female (n2=10) adult population. The agonist-antagonist muscle pairs considered were Rectus femoris (RF)-Biceps femoris (BF) for determining the Coactivation of quadriceps-hamstring muscle group. This muscle pair is a major contributor in the dynamic stability of the knee joint during movement patterns which are recommended during rehabilitation and are important for daily function. The statistical analysis applied was post hoc analysis to determine least significant differences among the different gender groups. The results showed significant gender differences in the activation patterns of the muscle pair during maximum knee extension. The results of this paper would help to better understand the significance of gender related differences in coactivation ratio that would help to manage the rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. This study is a part of a larger intervention study that is being carried out for designing feedback based FES devices.