Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Muscles that Move the Leg

Muscles that Move the Leg

The movement of the legs is facilitated by numerous muscles located within the anterior, medial, and posterior compartments of the thigh.
Anterior Compartment
The quadriceps femoris, the most visible muscle of the anterior compartment, is integral for leg extension and thigh flexion. It is formed by merging four distinct muscles — the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris. The quadriceps tendon, a shared tendon of the four quadriceps muscles, is affixed...

Bones of the Lower Limb: Femur and Patella

Bones of the Lower Limb: Femur and Patella

The femur is the body's longest and strongest bone spanning the thigh region. Its head articulates with the acetabulum of the hip bone to form the hip joint. A minor indentation on the medial side of the femoral head, called the fovea capitis, serves as the site of attachment for the ligament of the head of the femur. This weak ligament spans the femur and acetabulum and supports the hip joint. The narrowed region below the head is the neck of the femur. The inclination angle between the...

Muscles of the Leg that Move the Foot and Toes

Muscles of the Leg that Move the Foot and Toes

The human leg comprises an intricate system of muscles that facilitate the movement of feet and toes. Within this system, the muscles are categorized into the anterior, lateral, and posterior compartments, each with a unique set of muscles carrying out specific functions.
Anterior Compartment
The anterior compartment includes muscles that contribute to the dorsiflexion of the foot. This compartment houses the tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, and extensor digitorum longus muscles....

Knee Joint

Knee Joint

The knee joint is the most complicated joint in the body. It consists of three articulations– two tibiofemoral and one patellofemoral. As is characteristic of synovial joints, the knee joint has a thin articular capsule that partially surrounds this joint cavity. Additionally, several ligaments, muscles, and cartilaginous structures support the movement of the knee.
A total of seven ligaments support the knee joint. The patellar ligament, which is also attached to the quadriceps femoris...

Muscles that Move the Thigh

Muscles that Move the Thigh

The thigh's motion is primarily governed by muscles originating in the pelvic girdle and inserted into the femur. One crucial muscle, the iliopsoas, is a combination of the psoas major and the iliacus muscles, sharing a common insertion point on the lesser trochanter of the femur.
Three other significant muscles are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The gluteus maximus originates from the posterior surface of the ilium, sacrum, and coccyx, and the thoracolumbar...

Ankle Joint

Ankle Joint

The ankle is formed by the talocrural joint (crural = leg). It consists of the articulations between the talus bone of the foot and the distal ends of the tibia and fibula of the leg. The superior aspect of the talus bone is square-shaped and has three areas of articulation. The top of the talus articulates with the inferior tibia. This is the portion of the ankle joint that carries the body weight between the leg and foot. The sides of the talus are firmly held in position by the articulations...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Corrigendum to "The effects of heading motion and sex on lower extremity biomechanics in soccer players" [The Knee 50 (2024) 154-162].

The Knee·2025

Same author

Acquisition, Retention, and Transfer Effects of Landing Training to Increase Foot Progression Angle During Bilateral Drop Landings.

Journal of applied biomechanics·2024

Same author

Effects of Small and Normalized Q-Factor Changes and Knee Alignment on Knee Biomechanics during Stationary Cycling.

Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)·2024

Same author

The effects of heading motion and sex on lower extremity biomechanics in soccer players.

The Knee·2024

Same author

Musculoskeletal model degrees of Freedom: Frontal plane constraints are hindering our understanding of human movement.

Journal of biomechanics·2024

Same author

Predicting Knee Joint Contact Forces During Normal Walking Using Kinematic Inputs With a Long-Short Term Neural Network.

Journal of biomechanical engineering·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 8, 2025

Muscle Imbalances: Testing and Training Functional Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Athletic Populations

Muscle Imbalances: Testing and Training Functional Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Athletic Populations

Published on: May 1, 2018

Lower extremity muscle contributions to ACL loading during a stop-jump task.

Shelby A Peel¹, Lauren E Schroeder¹, Joshua T Weinhandl¹

¹Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.

Journal of Biomechanics

|April 19, 2021

Summary

Female athletes exhibit higher anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk during stop-jump landings. Specific muscles, notably the vastus lateralis, significantly contribute to ACL loading, informing new injury prevention strategies.

Keywords:

ACL loading Muscle contribution Musculoskeletal modeling OpenSim

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Implementing the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Concept in Rehabilitation Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Author Spotlight: Implementing the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Concept in Rehabilitation Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Published on: March 1, 2024

Using Gold-standard Gait Analysis Methods to Assess Experience Effects on Lower-limb Mechanics During Moderate High-heeled Jogging and Running

Using Gold-standard Gait Analysis Methods to Assess Experience Effects on Lower-limb Mechanics During Moderate High-heeled Jogging and Running

Published on: September 14, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 8, 2025

Muscle Imbalances: Testing and Training Functional Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Athletic Populations

Muscle Imbalances: Testing and Training Functional Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Athletic Populations

Published on: May 1, 2018

Author Spotlight: Implementing the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Concept in Rehabilitation Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Author Spotlight: Implementing the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Concept in Rehabilitation Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Published on: March 1, 2024

Using Gold-standard Gait Analysis Methods to Assess Experience Effects on Lower-limb Mechanics During Moderate High-heeled Jogging and Running

Using Gold-standard Gait Analysis Methods to Assess Experience Effects on Lower-limb Mechanics During Moderate High-heeled Jogging and Running

Published on: September 14, 2017

Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Sports Medicine
Orthopedics

Background:

Stop-jump landings are high-risk movements linked to lower extremity injuries, particularly anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.
Females exhibit distinct landing mechanics, potentially increasing their ACL injury risk compared to males.
Limited understanding exists regarding the role of specific lower extremity musculature in influencing ACL loading during these tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the contribution of individual lower extremity muscles to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) loading during unanticipated stop-jump landings in females.
To identify key muscles that influence ACL forces (F_ACL) to inform the development of targeted injury prevention strategies.

Main Methods:

Ten healthy, recreationally active females performed unanticipated stop-jump tasks.
Three-dimensional motion capture, force plates, and electromyography recorded kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity.
Musculoskeletal modeling and static optimization determined muscle forces, and an induced acceleration analysis calculated muscle contributions to ACL loading.

Main Results:

The vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, biceps femoris long head, semimembranosus, and soleus were identified as primary contributors to ACL loading (F_ACL).
The vastus lateralis demonstrated the largest contribution to F_ACL.
Muscles traditionally considered ACL unloaders may, under specific conditions, contribute to ACL loading.

Conclusions:

Specific muscles, especially the vastus lateralis, play a significant role in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) loading during stop-jump landings in females.
Findings suggest that current injury prevention protocols may need refinement to specifically target muscles influencing ACL loading, particularly the vastus lateralis.
This research provides crucial insights into neuromuscular control during landing and its implications for ACL injury prevention in female athletes.