Context: Central and peripheral muscle fatigue during exercise may exacerbate neuromuscular factors that increase risk for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Objective: To compare lower extremity motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), muscle strength, and electromyography (EMG) activation after an exercise protocol.
Design: Pretest, posttest group comparison.
Setting: University laboratory.
Participants: 34 healthy volunteers (17 female, age = 21.9 ± 2.3 years, weight = 77.8 ± 3.0 kg, height = 171.1 ± 6.6 cm, and 17 male, age = 23.4 ± 6.5 years, weight = 81.6 ± 3.3 kg, height = 179.6 ± 7.3 cm).
Intervention: A standardized 30-min exercise protocol that involved 5 repeated cycles of uphill walking, body-weight squatting, and step-ups.
Main outcome measures: Quadriceps and hamstring MEP amplitude (mV) and transmission velocity normalized to subject height (m/s) were elicited via transcranial magnetic stimulation and measured via surface EMG. Quadriceps and hamstring peak EMG activation (% MVIC) and peak torque (Nm/kg) were measured during MVICs. Separate ANCOVAs were used to compare groups after exercise while controlling for baseline measurement.
Results: At baseline, males exhibited significantly greater knee-extension torques (males = 2.47 ± 0.68 Nm/kg, females = 1.95 ± 0.53 Nm/kg; P = .036) and significantly higher hamstring MEP amplitudes (males = 223.5 ± 134.0 mV, females = 89.3 ± 77.6 mV; P = .007). Males exhibited greater quadriceps MEP amplitude after exercise than females (males = 127.2 ± 112.7 mV, females = 32.3 ± 34.9 mV; P = .016).
Conclusions: Males experienced greater peripheral neuromuscular changes manifested as more pronounced reductions in quadriceps torque after exercise. Females experienced greater central neuromuscular changes manifested as more pronounced reduction in quadriceps MEP amplitude. Reduced central neural drive of the quadriceps coupled with knee-extension torque preservation after exercise may increase risk of knee injury in females.