Monitoring of Eccentric Hamstring Strength and Eccentric Derived Strength Ratios in Judokas from a Single Weight Category

Abstract

Background: This study was designed to perform isokinetic knee testing of male judokas competing in the under 73 kg category. The main aims were: to establish the concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) strength profile of hamstrings (H) and CON profile of quadriceps (Q) muscles; to evaluate the differences in CON and ECC peak torques (PT) with various strength ratios and their bilateral asymmetries; the calculation of the dynamic control ratio (DCR) and H ECC to CON ratio (HEC); Methods: 12 judokas competing on a national and international levels with a mean age of 19 ± 4 years, a weight of 75 ± 2 kg and with a height of 176 ± 5 cm were tested. All the subjects were right-hand dominant. Isokinetic testing was performed on iMOMENT, SMM isokinetic machine (SMM, Maribor, Slovenia). The paired t-test was used to determine the difference between paired variables. The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05; Results: Statistical differences between left (L) and right (R) Q PT (L 266; R 241 Nm), H ECC PT (L 145; R 169 Nm), HQR (L 0.54; R 0.63), DCR (L 0.55; R 0.70), HEC (L 1.02; R 1.14) and PTQ/BW (L 3.57; R 3.23 Nm/kg) were shown. Bilateral strength asymmetries in CON contraction of 13.52% ± 10.04 % for Q, 10.86% ± 7.67 % for H and 22.04% ± 12.13% for H ECC contraction were shown. Conclusions: This study reports the isokinetic strength values of judokas in the under 73 kg category, emphasising eccentric hamstring strength and eccentric derived strength ratios DCR and HEC. It was shown that asymmetries are better detected using eccentric testing and that the dominant leg in judokas had stronger eccentric hamstring strength resulting in higher DCR and HEC.

Diagnostics of tissue involved injury occurrence of top-level judokas during the competition: suggestion for prevention

“…One of those tests could be the Functional movement screen (FMS), as it fits perfectly in this description as it checks functional movement asymmetries between different parts of the body and, from the total score, gives an assessment of movement, which helps coaches to prevent the occurrence of injuries and includes a system of preventive exercises ( Simenko, 2019 ; Ciz et al, 2017 ). Also, the regular usage of testing batteries, which include measurements of the most important joint muscles around frequently injured joints, like isokinetic ( Kons, Detanico & Franchini, 2020 ; Šimenko, Karpljuk & Hadžić, 2022 ) tensiomyography (TMG) ( Monteiro et al, 2016 ; Garcia et al, 2011 ), body composition through electrical bioimpedance (weigh and body composition management), or even modern 3D body scanners ( Simenko et al, 2017 ) is advised for prevention strategies of elite judokas. Recently it was reported that the isokinetically measured DCR (dynamic control ratio) ratio with the eccentric Hamstrings strength could also help in the early identification of vulnerable judokas and help in optimal conditioning of judokas ( Šimenko, Karpljuk & Hadžić, 2022 ).…”

“…Also, the regular usage of testing batteries, which include measurements of the most important joint muscles around frequently injured joints, like isokinetic ( Kons, Detanico & Franchini, 2020 ; Šimenko, Karpljuk & Hadžić, 2022 ) tensiomyography (TMG) ( Monteiro et al, 2016 ; Garcia et al, 2011 ), body composition through electrical bioimpedance (weigh and body composition management), or even modern 3D body scanners ( Simenko et al, 2017 ) is advised for prevention strategies of elite judokas. Recently it was reported that the isokinetically measured DCR (dynamic control ratio) ratio with the eccentric Hamstrings strength could also help in the early identification of vulnerable judokas and help in optimal conditioning of judokas ( Šimenko, Karpljuk & Hadžić, 2022 ). Also, raising awareness with the regular implementation of already available exercise prevention programs developed especially for judo ( Akoto et al, 2018 ; Malliaropoulos et al, 2019 ; von Gerhardt et al, 2020 ) would be helpful.…”

Determining the optimal areas of effort in terms of force and force-velocity based on the functional state of the neuromuscular system in the training of elite female judokas

“…The isokinetic tests of the male judokas’ knees demonstrated that the asymmetries are better detected by eccentric testing ( e.g. , Šimenko, Karpljuk & Hadžić, 2022 ).…”

Exploring the Relationship between Anaerobic and Morphological Characteristics and Competition Success in Young Male Slovenian Judo Athletes

“…However, following the necessary manufacturer and laboratory testing guidelines developed over time [16,17], the measurements have been shown to be reliable [18] and valid [19,20] compared to DXA. BIA testing reports several parameters like muscle mass, fat mass and body hydration status, among others [4], and has been widely used in judo research [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Additionally, BIA research in judo has shown that elite judokas have low body fat levels [27,31,32].…”