The Effects of Muscular Flexibility and Strength Imbalance on Lower Limb Injuries in Female Martial Arts Athletes

Abstract

Background and Objective: Owing to the high prevalence of injuries among female martial arts athletes, the effects of flexibility and muscular imbalance on lower limb injuries of female martial arts athletes during a competition season was studied. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 66 professional female martial arts athletes of country (aged 15-40), prior to the season, were evaluated for muscle isometric strength and the flexibility assessment, in the ankle joints, knees and hips. During the training and holding of the tournament, the researcher followed up the created injuries and registered them by the physician or physiotherapist of the team. Paired t-test and SPSS 17 software were used to examine the relationship between the strength of the agonist / antagonist and flexibility in case of occurring injury. Results: The only significant difference between the flexibility in the right hip abductors (P = 0.02) and the evertor / invertor strength ratio in the right ankle (P= 0.007) was obtained with lower limb injury, and no significant statistical differences were found between the other parameters. Conclusion: The insufficiency of muscle force in hip joints and muscle strength imbalance in ankle joints can be important internal factors in incidence of injuries in female martial arts athletes.

Keywords

• martial arts
• muscle strength
• flexibility
• lower limb injuries