Trunk fatigue effect on lower limb kinematic and electromyographic patterns during the single-leg drop-landing test in female novice runners

Trunk muscle fatigue could influence the dynamic control of the lower limbs in runners, and the single-leg drop-landing (SLDL) test could simulate the landing and reveal those changes. This study compared the effect of trunk muscle fatigue on the kinematic and electromyographic patterns of the lower limb during SLDL in female novice runners. The kinematics of the main joints and electromyographic (EMG) of the main muscles of the lower limb during SLDL pre- and post-fatigue muscle trunk were registered in 18 female novice runners. The integrated EMG (iEMG) was calculated into 3 phases (F1, before movement starts; F2, eccentric; and F3, concentric). There was an increase in the tibialis anterior and soleus mean iEMG in F1, a reduction in tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) maximum iEMG in F2, and an increase in the biceps femoris (BF) minimal iEMG in F2. Also, we found a reduced ankle angle, increased hip angle in the sagittal plane, and a reduced knee angle in the frontal plane post-intervention. The induction of trunk muscle fatigue in female novice runners influenced the TA, SO, GM, and BF EMG changes, the kinematic pattern of the ankle and hip in the sagittal plane, and the knee in the frontal plane during the SDLD.