Gender differences in post-exercise sagittal knee translation: A comparison between elite volleyball players and swimmers

Abstract

BackgroundThere is an increased risk for anterior cruciate ligament injury during the last part of a match or training session and one reason for that could be a post-exercise increase in tibial translation. PurposeTo investigate if sagittal tibial translation is affected after a workout session in volleyball or swimming in elite athletes. In addition, gender differences in sagittal tibial translation after the workout session were investigated. MethodThirty-one elite volleyball players (16 male) and 33 elite swimmers (15 male) participated in this study. Measurements of total tibial translation were taken before and after a workout session in either volleyball or swimming with the use of a KT-1000 arthrometer. ResultsTotal tibial translation increased by 1.1 mm (SD 1.9) in the group consisting of both male and female volleyball players (p=0.003) and remained unchanged in the swimmers. Male athletes increased their tibial translation with 1.8 mm (SD 1.8) and 0.6 mm (SD 1.1) in the two sports, respectively, while the tibial translation did not increase in the female athletes. ConclusionImpact sports such as volleyball training leads to a post-exercise increase in tibial translation in male athletes. The increase in tibial translation in swimmers, that is a non-impact sport, was small and may not be clinically significant for the functional stability of the joint. It has been shown that female athletes have an increased risk for injury. Our results show no support for an increase in tibial translation being an important factor for this increased risk, and suggest that the difference between males and females in this regard should be sought elsewhere.