european college of sport science

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN STIFFNESS DURING THE LANDING MOVEMENT FROM A VERTICAL JUMP
MARTÍN-CASADO, L., ALEGRE, L.M., MÁRQUEZ, G., MARTÍN-ACERO, R., ELVIRA, J.L.L., AGUADO, X.
PP-BM04 Biomechanics 4
1. UNIVERSITY OF CASTILLA-LA MANCHA, TOLEDO, 2. UNIVERSITY OF A CORUÑA, A CORUÑA, 3. MIGUEL HERNÁNDEZ UNIVERSITY, ELCHE
Introduction: Women athletes have shown higher injury rates than their male counterparts in the anterior cruciate ligament, in sports
where vertical jumps are common. Besides the anatomical and mechanical gender differences some authors have attributed the greater
injury rate in women to kinetic and kinematic differences in the landing technique. Previous studies have found gender differences in the
kinetic behaviour during the landings from jump tests (Abián et al., 2008), and others have also described differences between young
and adult subjects in the stiffness of the push off and landing phases of a counter movement jump (CMJ). Although these two factors
have been related to the injury rate, the gender differences in stiffness during CMJs remain to be studied. Therefore, the purposes of this
study were to describe gender differences in vertical ground reaction forces, path of the center of gravity and vertical stiffness in the push
off and landing phases of maximal CMJs, in applicants to a Sports Sciences university degree.
Methodology: 110 young subjects (19.1±2.7 years), 24 women and 86 men, volunteered for the study. A Quattro Jump force platform
(Kistler, Switzerland) with a sample rate of 500 Hz was utilized for the jump tests. All the subjects have been previously informed of the
jump test protocols, and received a previous demonstration of the test in situ. They were allowed for a 10-minute warm up, and had two
trials to reach a minimum jump height of 21 cm and 29 cm, for the women and the men, respectively.
Results: The men’s group showed greater jump performance than their female counterparts, with greater jump heights (men 34.1±4.5
cm; women 25.1±4.3 cm, P