Isokinetic Hamstrings:Quadriceps Ratios in Intercollegiate Athletes

OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in the concentric hamstrings:quadriceps (H:Q) ratio among athletes in different sports at 3 velocities. DESIGN AND SETTING: We measured the H:Q ratio of both knees using the Biodex Pro Isokinetic Device. SUBJECTS: Eighty-one male and female collegiate athletes. MEASUREMENTS: We performed analyses for sport, velocity, and side of body for each sex. To compare the means of the concentric H:Q ratios for mean peak torque and mean total work, a 2 x 3 x 4 mixed-factorial analysis of variance was computed for women and a 2 x 2 x 3 mixed-factorial analysis of variance was computed for men. RESULTS: We observed no significant interactions for men and women for the concentric H:Q ratio for mean peak torque. There was a significant mean difference among velocity conditions and a significant difference for men with respect to velocity. No significant differences were found for side of body or sport. CONCLUSIONS: The H:Q ratio increased as velocity increased. No differences existed for the H:Q ratio for sport or side of body.