Isokinetic Strength and Functional Ratio for Quadriceps and Hamstrings among Semi-Professional Athletes in UAE playing Football, Cricket, and Tennis- Biomechanical Implications.

AIM: This study aims to compare the isokinetic strength of the Hamstrings against the Quadriceps for Football, Cricket, and Tennis among semi-professional athletes.

METHODOLOGY: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted with the inclusion of participants between 18-40 years, both males and females having an active athlete profile playing Football, Cricket, and Tennis as semi-professional (competing in inter-collegiate, national-level tournaments in the UAE). The minimum duration for each sport was one hour per day and three to five times per week. A total of 66 participants were enrolled, with 22 participants in each group. The ISOMOVE isokinetic device was used to assess the strength of dynamically contracting Quadriceps concentrically against eccentric contraction of the Hamstring muscles to determine the functional ratio (H/Q ratio).

RESULTS

Age-wise distribution of players showed predominant male participants with 77.3% of players in Football, 68.2% in Cricket, and 59.1% in Tennis. The comparison for the mean peaks of isokinetic strength for functional ratio suggested a statistically significant difference between the three sports (Football p<0.001, Cricket p=0.006, Tennis p =0.003). The findings suggested that the highest H/Q ratio was found in Football players with a mean value of 0.51±0.07, followed by Cricket and Tennis with a mean of 0.48±0.08 and 0.42±0.05, respectively (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The isokinetic strength testing for H/Q ratio was found to be higher in Football players, followed by Cricket and Tennis players for semi-professional athletes. The study concluded that the functional H/Q ratio varies between three similar sports as the demand on the target muscle would specifically vary. Thus, semi-professional players who play multiple games should consider enhancing FR for the Hamstring to the Quadriceps, besides the strength and training specific to sports, to avoid the risk of injuries.