Sex differences in kinematics and muscle activity during the impact phase of a single-leg landing task after a backhand side overhead stroke in badminton

Background: Female badminton players have a higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in landing maneuvers compared to males. Gender differences in neuromuscular control may be a potential risk factor for the increased incidence of ACL injury in female badminton players. Study design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Sixteen badminton players (8 male, 8 female) participated in a badminton single-leg landing task in which lower limb kinematics, ground reaction forces, and lower limb muscle activity were measured using a marker-based motion capture system, force plates, and electromyography (EMG). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze gender differences in leg kinematic data, mean normalized leg muscle activation (MVC%), and muscle co-contraction during the impact phase after landing. Results: During the impact phase of the badminton landing task (100 ms after initial contact), the knee valgus angle at the moment of initial contact (IC) and posterior peak ground reaction force (GRF) was greater in females than in males (6.27 ± 2.54 vs 1.84 ± 3.28) and (6.16 ± 2.83 vs 0.88 ± 2.59). Knee flexion angle and ankle plantarflexion angle were less in females than in males at the moment of peak posterior GRF (16.71 ± 4.20 vs 23.90 ± 5.04) and (-28.34 ± 5.60 vs -37.05 ± 7.17). During the post-landing impact phase, compared to male badminton players, females exhibited greater rectus femoris (51.85 ± 15.68 vs 19.73 ± 6.63) medial hamstring (44.88 ± 19.07 vs 20.54 ± 10.16), medial gastrocnemius (66.23 ± 21.42 vs 38.21 ± 15.16) lateral gastrocnemius (79.43 ± 22.54 vs 46.53 ± 13.17) muscle activity. In addition, males exhibited a higher co-contraction ratio of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius compared to female athletes (1.44 ± 0.46 vs 0.99 ± 0.24). Conclusion: There were significant gender differences in neuromuscular control (muscle activity patterns, movement patterns) between badminton players during the impact phase of the badminton single-leg landing task. These findings highlight the need for gender-specific training programs to address neuromuscular differences and reduce ACL injury risk in badminton players.