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Hip and knee frontal plane kinematics are not associated with lateral abdominal muscle thickness and trunk muscle endurance in healthy men and women

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Abstract

Purpose

Lateral trunk muscles may contribute to the excessive ipsilateral trunk lean, which is a mechanical alteration related to impairment in hip and knee kinematics. This study aimed to investigate if hip and knee kinematics, lateral abdominal muscle thickness, and trunk muscle endurance are associated differently in men and women.

Methods

Forty-six participants (27 men and 19 women) completed the following assessments: (1) lateral abdominal muscles thickness [external oblique + internal oblique + transversus abdominis] measured with ultrasound; (2) hip adduction (HADD) and knee frontal plane projection angle (FPPA) during single-leg squat; (3) muscle endurance in the side plank test.

Results

We did not find significant associations between HADD and lateral abdominal muscle thickness (men: r = 0.205; p = 0.315; women: r = 0.358; p = 0.145) or side plank time (men: rs = − 0.102; p = 0.614; women: rs = 0.391; p = 0.098). Moreover, no significant associations were found between FPPA and lateral abdominal muscle thickness (men: r = 0.012, p = 0.953; women: r = 0.326, p = 0.186) or side plank time (men: rs = 0.087, p = 0.667; women: rs = 0.319, p = 0.184). A strong association between lateral abdominal muscle thickness and muscle endurance was found only in women (r = 0.683; p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Hip and knee kinematics were not associated with lateral abdominal muscle structure or endurance in men and women. Muscle structure seems to be associated with time to exhaustion in a side plank test only in women.

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Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exercise Research Laboratory, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Henrique Flores Bayer & Jeam Marcel Geremia

  2. Exercise Physiology and Physical Assessment Laboratory, Serra Gaúcha University Center, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil

    Luan Fitarelli, Giovana Ramos, Felipe Scudiero & Rodrigo Rodrigues

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Milan, MI, Italy

    Rodrigo Rabello

  4. Department of Physical Therapy, Integrated Colleges of Taquara, Taquara, RS, Brazil

    Rodrigo Rodrigues

Authors
  1. Henrique Flores Bayer
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  2. Luan Fitarelli
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  4. Giovana Ramos
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  6. Jeam Marcel Geremia
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Contributions

HFB: The analysis and interpretation of data, draft of the article revising it critically for important intellectual content, and final approval of the version to be submitted. LF: Acquisition of data, data analysis, critical revision of the article, and final approval of the version to be submitted. RR: Data analysis, critical revision of the article, draft of the article revising it critically for important intellectual content, and final approval of the version to be submitted. GR: Acquisition of data, analysis, and interpretation of data and final approval of the version to be submitted. FS: Acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, and final approval of the version to be submitted. JMG: Critical revision of the article, draft of the article revising it critically for important intellectual content, and final approval of the version to be submitted. RR: The conception and design of the study, study orientation, and supervision and critical revision of the article, final approval of the version to be submitted and correspondent author. All authors contributed equally to the manuscript and read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodrigo Rodrigues.

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Authors declared no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the University's Research and Ethics Committee (n: 3.446.338). This study followed all ethical principles contained in the Helsinki Declaration.

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Before starting, all participants were informed of the aims and procedures of the study and signed an informed consent form.

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Bayer, H.F., Fitarelli, L., Rabello, R. et al. Hip and knee frontal plane kinematics are not associated with lateral abdominal muscle thickness and trunk muscle endurance in healthy men and women. Sport Sci Health 18, 735–742 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-021-00851-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-021-00851-7

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