Atividade eletromiográfica dos músculos de tronco, quadril e joelho no agachamento unipodal com haste oscilatória em mulheres com dor femoropatelar

Abstract

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is characterized by moderate pain in the anterior region of the knee, which can worsen during physical activities such as squatting, descending stairs, and running, mainly affecting young women. Physiotherapeutic treatment is the main intervention approach for this population, and squat exercises are widely used; therefore, a broad understanding of these exercises will contribute to a more assertive clinical practice. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the electromyographic activity of the gluteus medius (GMed), quadriceps (Quad), and internal (IO) and external (IO) obliques during single-leg squats using an oscillating bar (AGA flexi-bar) between female volunteers with and without PFP. Eighty physically active women aged 18-30 years were evaluated and divided into two groups: control (without pain) and PFP. All volunteers underwent electromyographic evaluation of the gluteus maximus (GMed), quadriceps (Quadriceps), internal os (IO), and external os (OE) muscles during a flexi-bar squat exercise (GAS) with 60 degrees of knee flexion, maintaining the position for 6 seconds. Comparison between groups was performed using the independent samples t-test, with a significance level of 5%. Cohen's d was used to determine the effect size. According to the results, greater activation of the GMed was observed in the patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) group compared to the control group, with a moderate effect size, while the other muscles showed similar patterns between the groups. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of the oscillating bar during the squat could be a promising strategy to optimize GMed activation in women with PFPS.