Sex differences in lower extremity musculoskeletal and neuromuscular characteristics in intercollegiate soccer athletes

ABSTRACT Purpose: Establishing sex-specific musculoskeletal characteristics promotes specific and effective injury prevention. The purpose was to identify sex differences in musculoskeletal characteristics in soccer athletes.Methods: 80 collegiate male and female soccer athletes participated. Flexibility included: weight-bearing ankle dorsiflexion mobility (DFM), active ankle dorsiflexion (ADF), active knee extension (AKE), and passive hip flexion (PHF). Strength tests included: ankle dorsiflexion/inversion/eversion, knee flexion/extension, hip abduction/adduction/internal/external rotation. LE dynamic postural stability (DPS) was assessed with an accelerometer. DPS was expressed as the Dynamic Postural Stability Index composite (DPSIC) and component scores in the anterior/posterior (APSI), medial/lateral (MLSI), and vertical (VSI) directions. If normally distributed, differences were calculated using a Student’s T-test; if non-normal, a Mann–Whitney U test was utilized.Results: Flexibility tests yielded significant differences for AKE (Dominant:p = 0.008, Non-Dominant:p = 0.040) and PHF (Dominant:p < 0.000,Non-Dominant:p = 0.001). Strength tests yielded significant differences for non-dominant hip internal rotation (p = 0.002). Dynamic postural stability tests yielded significant differences for DPSIC (p = 0.0160) and APSI (p = 0.014).Conclusion: These results implicate that flexibility and DPS may be better linked to sex than strength, suggesting that they may sex-specific musculoskeletal characteristics for the purpose of effective injury prevention.