A Deeper Look into the Vastus Medialis: A Stabilizer for the Knee
Abstract
Anterior cruciate ligament tears are one of the most common injuries that occur, especially in female athletes. It requires surgery and months of physical therapy to get these athletes back in playing condition. The angle of women’s hips and lack of strength of inner quadriceps muscles enhances the risk of injuries to the knees. One specific muscle that is known for being a stabilizer of the knee and may help in preventing ACL tears is the vastus medialis. By understanding what exercises activate this muscle the most, conditioning plans and preventative workouts need to be created to help female athletes stabilize the knee. Therefore, this research could impact the prevention of ACL tears in female athletes. By taking a generalized approach, a variety of exercises in each of the three muscle contractions: concentric, eccentric, and isometric, will be evaluated by a Vernier Electromyography system. For this research, one female will be tested doing all the movements three times to measure the average peak muscle activation for each exercise. This will help prevent outliers and human error. For this study, variables such as percent body fat, BMI, history of exercising, and previous strength were ignored.
Faculty Mentor
Richard Gordin