| Kinematic Analysis of The Knee Joint Across Different Phases of The Menstrual Cycle in Elite Female Athletes |
| Paper ID : 1703-SPORTCONGRESS |
| Authors |
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fatemeh movahedinia *1, mostafa zareei2, Thomas Dos'Santos3, hoda mozayani4 1M.Sc. corrective movement and sport pathology, shahid beheshi university 2Associate Professor of shahid beheshti university 3reader of strength and conditioning, and sport biomechanics at manchester metropolitan university 4shahid beheshti university |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: With the growing participation of women in sports, examining the effects of the menstrual cycle and hormones on performance and joint kinematics has become essential. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to kinematic analysis of the knee joint across different phases of the menstrual cycle in elite female athletes Methods: The statistical population of this study consisted of 14 elite female football players. Their menstrual cycle was divided into three phases: follicular, ovulatory, and mid-luteal, based on self-reporting (on the first day of the menstrual cycle). Blood samples were then collected from the participants to determine the concentration of sex hormones in each phase. Biomechanical data were measured using a motion analysis system and force plate through the execution of drop jump. Results: The findings showed that knee flexion angle in the drop jump test had significant differences between the follicular and ovulatory phases (P<0.05). Meanwhile, other biomechanical factors, such as the angles of the three joints at the moment of initial foot contact with the ground or at the moment of stabilization during the drop jump task, remained unchanged across different phases of the menstrual cycle. Conclusion: these findings have important implications for designing training programs, injury prevention strategies, and performance optimization in female athletes. From a practical perspective, training programs can be tailored to different phases of the menstrual cycle, with a particular focus on strengthening the hamstring muscles, enhancing neuromuscular control, and reducing the load on knee joints during high-risk phases. Overall, this study demonstrated that while hormonal fluctuations influence certain movement variables, biomechanical and neuromuscular factors play a more dominant role in many other parameters |
| Keywords |
| Menstrual cycle- kinematic- motion analysis |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
