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Quantitative Analysis of Quadriceps Muscle Forces When Adolescent Females Perform Typical Motions in Soccer or
Xueying Zhang1,2, Mingxia Gong1, Weiyan Ren3
1Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
Purpose:
Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is linked to quadriceps traction, yet quantitative force data for adolescent females in high-risk sports is scarce. This study aimed to biomechanically compare quadriceps muscle forces during key motions in female adolescent soccer and basketball players. The objective was to determine which sport's characteristic movements impose greater mechanical loads on the tibial tuberosity, thereby representing a higher potential risk for OSD development.
Methods:
Sixteen adolescent females were divided into basketball (n = 8) and soccer (n = 8) groups, each performing three sport-specific motions. Kinematic, kinetic, and electromyography (EMG) data were captured using a 10-camera motion capture system, force plates, and wireless sensors. A musculoskeletal model in OpenSim was employed to estimate and compare peak and accumulated quadriceps muscle forces between the groups and their respective motions.
Results:
In basketball, the single-leg jump yielded the highest peak and impulses. For soccer, the side-step cut produced the greatest peak force, and turning yielded the highest accumulated force. Crucially, overall peak quadriceps muscle forces were significantly higher in the soccer group compared to the basketball group. The rectus femoris generated higher peak forces in basketball, while the vasti muscles demonstrated higher peak forces in soccer.
Conclusion:
Single-leg jumping in basketball and cutting/turning in soccer impose the most significant traction on the tibial tuberosity. Due to lower overall peak forces, basketball may pose a reduced OSD risk for adolescent females compared to soccer. Differential recruitment of the rectus femoris versus vastus muscles between sports is a key consideration for injury prevention and athlete guidance.
