title: Lower extremity neuromuscular control immediately after fatiguing hip-abduction exercise.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fatigue of the gluteus medius (GMed) muscle might be associated with decreases in postural control due to insufficient pelvic stabilization. Men and women might have different muscular recruitment patterns in response to GMed fatigue.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare postural control and quality of movement between men and women after a fatiguing hip-abduction exercise.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive laboratory study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Controlled laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen men (age = 22 ± 3.64 years, height = 183.37 ± 8.30 cm, mass = 87.02 ± 12.53 kg) and 18 women (age = 22 ± 3.14, height = 167.65 ± 5.80 cm, mass = 66.64 ± 10.49 kg) with no history of low back or lower extremity injury participated in our study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants followed a fatiguing protocol that involved a side-lying hip-abduction exercise performed until a 15% shift in electromyographic median frequency of the GMed was reached.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline and postfatigue measurements of single-leg static balance, dynamic balance, and quality of movement assessed with center-of-pressure measurements, the Star Excursion Balance Test, and lateral step-down test, respectively, were recorded for the dominant lower extremity (as identified by the participant).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed no differences in balance deficits between sexes (P > .05); however, we found main effects for time with all of our postfatigue outcome measures (P ≤ .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that postural control and quality of movement were affected negatively after a GMed-fatiguing exercise. At similar levels of local muscle fatigue, men and women had similar measurements of postural control.
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester Medical Center, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: McMullen
authors.forename: Nicole L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Cosby
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hertel
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ingersoll
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002081:Buttocks / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006615:Hip / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors