Is femoral cartilage thickness associated with rectus femoris thickness and thigh muscle strength in adolescent female basketball players?

Abstract

Objective: To measure femoral cartilage (FC) thickness and to evaluate the association between FC thickness and isokinetic muscle strength and rectus femoris (RF) muscle thickness in adolescent female basketball players. Materials and Methods A total of 31 female adolescent basketball athletes with a mean age of 12.3 years (SD: 0.9) were included. Isokinetic measurements were performed on quadriceps and hamstring muscles bilaterally using a dynamometer. Bilateral RF and FC thicknesses were evaluated by ultrasonography. For FC thickness, three mid-point measurements were taken bilaterally from each knee as follows: lateral condyle, intercondylar area, and medial condyle. Mean FC thickness for each knee was calculated by values pertaining to the medial and lateral condyles, and the intercondylar area. Results: Right and left mean FC thickness values were 0.23 (SD: 0.03) cm and 0.22 (SD: 0.03) cm. While there was a significant positive correlation between right and left FC thicknesses (r = 0.79, p < 0.001), no correlations were observed between FC and RF thicknesses or between the FC thickness and isokinetic quadriceps and hamstring strength. Conclusion: The mean FC thickness does not seem to correlate either with the RF thickness or with the thigh muscle strength in adolescent female basketball players.