Muscle Activation Patterns during Linemen Movements in NCAA Football Players

Engineering Experiment Station Honors Undergraduate Research InternshipDamage to articular cartilage in the knee can lead to pain and prevent knee functionality. Once damaged, cartilage has limited ability to self-repair, presenting significant danger for progression into severe conditions such as osteoarthritis. Some types of cartilage injuries are known as cartilage defects and are common in athletes, particularly in linemen participating in American football. It is known that excessive forces in the knee can cause cartilage defects; these forces may arise from excessive and repetitive torsional loading of the joint or single external traumas to the knee. However, it is unknown why linemen in particular are so commonly diagnosed with defects. It is possible that activation of certain muscles surrounding the knee could be an important factor in causing high forces in the knee. In this project, NCAA linemen were asked to walk, jog, and perform rush trials. During these movements, 3-D motion data of linemen were collected with the use of a motion capture system and electromyography (EMG) data was collected with surface electrodes. Each movement was broken down into multiple stages and EMG data were then used to calculate a co-contraction index for each stage. Additionally, these motion data were entered into an open-source software, OpenSim, which can be utilized to create subject-specific musculoskeletal simulations of movements. A statistical analysis was run on the results for co-contraction, and it was determined that antagonistic muscles surrounding the knee activate more and for a longer period of time in certain stages of rush and jog as compared to walking. In addition, it was found that, due to model simplifications of the lumbar spine, simulations of motion could not be performed.The Ohio State University College of EngineeringNFL CharitiesNo embargoAcademic Major: Mechanical Engineerin