Effects of a hip-core warm-up protocol on Q-angle during single-leg drop jump in 18–35 years old healthy female runners
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Abstract
Changing of Q-angle could detect abnormal biomechanics while running especially lower extremity. Increasing the angle can cause knee pain in various runners. Weakness and fatigue of hip-core muscles during exercises are the main factors that alter the angle and contribute to knee pain. Maintaining muscle performance through the running race and improving their strength are benefcial to athletic performance
and decrease the injury rate. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of effectiveness of hip–core warm-up affects the Q-angle. The study aimed to investigate the effects of a hip–core warm-up protocol on the Q-angle during single-leg drop jump in 18–35 years old healthy female runners. Twenty-eight healthy female runners at the age of 18–35 participated and were randomly assigned to the exercise and control groups, fourteen in each. All runners performed pre-warm-up, post-warm-up and post-exercise single-leg drop jump test and the Q-angle was recorded by video cameras. The exercise group was assigned to have the hip–core warm-up protocol and the warm-up protocol for runners, while the control group was assigned to have only the warm-up protocol for runners. The results were compared within testing conditions and between two groups. In the exercise group, the result demonstrated that the Q-angle after warm-up programs was signifcantly decreased and was slightly increased after the 30-minute treadmill running. In the control group, this angle did not show any change. However, after 30-minute treadmill running, the angle showed a considerable increase and reached more than both pre-warm-up and post-arm-up angles. When compared between groups, the Q-angle was not altered signifcantly in any comparable. In conclusion, the hip-core warm-up protocol could immediately decrease the Q-angle and maintain the angle though 30-minute running. In contrast, the warm-up routine program could not decrease the angle, and it was higher than pre-warm up after fnishing treadmill running. So, professionals should advise the hip-core warm-up protocol to reduce the risk of knee injuries in the runner.
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