The vastus medialis oblique:vastus lateralis electromyographic intensity ratio does not differ by gender in young participants without knee pathology

Objectives

To investigate whether there was a gender difference in the intensity of electromyographic (EMG) activity in vastus medialis oblique (VMO) relative to vastus lateralis (VL).

Design

A cross-sectional observational study measuring EMG activity during stepping down from a step and during straight leg raise exercises.

Setting

University campus laboratory.

Participants

Two groups of healthy participants were tested, one female (mean age 23.5 years, n = 15) and one male (mean age 23.5 years, n = 15).

Main outcome measures

Surface EMG activity (sampling rate 1000 Hz) was recorded from VMO and VL of the dominant limb during five repetitions of a step down activity and five repetitions of a straight leg raise exercise. The average intensity of the rectified and smoothed EMG activity from each activity was normalised to that elicited in a maximal quadriceps setting exercise. The ratio of normalised VMO:VL EMG intensity levels was calculated.

Results

The median difference in the VMO:VL ratio between the groups was 0.11 approximate 95% confidence interval (CI) ?0.62 to 1.00] during step down and ?0.07 (approximate 95% CI ?0.26 to 0.20) during straight leg raise. Using Mann Whitney U-tests, these differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.648 and 0.619, respectively).

Conclusions

This study found no gender difference in the VMO:VL EMG intensity ratio in asymptomatic participants. This suggests that the difference in incidence of patellofemoral pain syndrome between genders is not influenced by quadriceps intensity ratios, when participants are asymptomatic.