Sport Sciences and Health Research

Sport Sciences and Health Research

Immediate effects of cold spray application on timing and activation pattern of the knee joint muscles during one-leg landing

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mohamad Hossein Ghasemi 1
Mehrdad Anbarian 2
1 Sport biomechanics Department, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.
2 Department of Sport biomechanics, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
10.22059/sshr.2023.359848.1093
Abstract
Background: Cold sprays (CS) are widely used in sport competitions as an effective, simple, and high available treatment.
Aim: The aim of present study was to investigate immediate and longtime effects of CS application onto the knee joint anterior-medial area of dominant leg on timing and activation pattern of selected muscles during one-leg landing.
Materials and Methods: Thirty (15 control and 15 experimental) able-bodied male participated in this study. Electromyography activity of vastus medialis, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, semiendineus and medial gastrocnemius were recorded during one-leg landing tests (with dominant leg) for each of three conditions including before CS application (pre-test), immediately after (post-test 1), and 20 min later (post-test 2). To determine the effect of group and time on each dependent variable, three independent 2×2 multivariate repeated measures analyses of variance were performed (α < 0.05).
Results: The results showed following trends rather than significant differences: the muscles in the experimental group had lower activity level and later onset immediately after CS application compared to before application, and they had higher activity level and sooner onset after 20 min from removing CScompared to immediate application. No significant interaction was found for normalized peak activation and time to peak activation (P> 0.05). However, decrease in skin temperature after cold spray application was observed.
Conclusion: These results show short-time cold application, which is so practical after many injuries for returning athletes to sport environment, may not predispose individuals to risk of re-injury or failed landing mechanism.
Keywords
cooling
electromyography
lower extremity
performance task

[1] Halder A, Gao Ch, Miller M. “Effect of cooling on ankle muscle strenght, electromyography and gait ground reaction forces”. J Sports Med. 2014; 520124.

[2] Bleakley CM, Costello JT, Glasgow PD. “Should athletes return to sport after applying ice?”. Sport Med. 2012; 42(1): 69-87.

[3] Schmikli SL, De Vries WR, Inklaar H, Backx FJG. “Injury prevention target groups in soccer: injury characteristics and incidence rates in male junior and senior players”. J Sci Med Sport. 2011; 14(3): 199-203.

[4] Abbaszadeh-Amirdehi M, Khademi-Kalantari K, Talebian S, Rezasoltani A, Hadian MR. “The effect of fatigue and velocity on the relative timing of hamstring activation in relation to quadriceps”. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2012; 16(4): 488-92.

[5] Costello JT, Donnelly AE. “Cryotherapy and joint position sense in healthy participants: a systematic review”. J Athl Train. 2010; 45(3): 306-16.

[6] Fullam K, Caulfield B, Coughlan GF, McGroarty M, Delahunt E. “Dynamic postural-stability deficits after cryotherapy to the ankle joint”. J Athl Train. 2015; 50(9): 893-904.

[7] Racinais S, Gaoua N, Mtibaa K, Whiteley R, Hautier C, Alhammoud M. “Effect of cold on proprioception and cognitive function in elite alpine skiers”. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017; 12(1): 69-74.

[8] Macedo C de SG, Vicente RC, Cesário MD, Guirro RR de J. “Cold-water immersion alters muscle recruitment and balance of basketball players during vertical jump landing”. J Sports Sci. 2016; 34(4): 348-57.

[9] Duñabeitia I, Arrieta H, Rodriguez-Larrad A, Gil J, Esain I, Gil SM, Irazusta J, Bidaurrazaga-Letona J. “Effects of massage and cold-water immersion after an exhaustive run-on running economy and biomechanics: A randomized controlled trial”. J Strength Cond Res. 2022; 36(1): 149-155.

[10] Pietrosimone BG, Ingersoll CD. “Focal knee joint cooling increases the quadriceps central activation ratio”. J Sports Sci. 2009; 27(8): 873-9.

[11] Pritchard KA, Saliba SA. “Should athletes return to activity after cryotherapy?”. J Athl Train. 2014; 49(1): 95-6.

[12] Fullam K, Caulfield B, Coughlan GF, Delahunt E. “The effect of cryotherapy application to the ankle joint on dynamic postural stability in an elite athletic population”. Br J Sports Med. 2014; 48(7): 596-596.

[13] Stevens CJ, Kittel A, Sculley DV, Callister R, Taylor L, Dascombe BJ. “Running performance in the heat is improved by similar magnitude with pre-exercise cold-water immersion and mid-exercise facial water spray”. J Sports Sci. 2017; 35(8): 798-805.

[14] Krüger M, de Marees M, Dittmar K-H, Sperlich B, Mester J. “Whole-body cryotherapy’s enhancement of acute recovery of running performance in well-trained athletes”. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2015; 10(5): 605-12.

[15] Wikstrom EA, Tillman MD, Schenker S, Borsa PA. “Failed jump landing trials: deficits in neuromuscular control”. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2008; 18(1): 55-61.

[16] Hug F. “Can muscle coordination be precisely studied by surface electromyography?”. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2011; 21(1): 1-12.

[17] Lee J, Kim S, Heo J, Park D, Chang E. “Differences in the muscle activities of the quadriceps femoris and hamstrings while performing various squat exercises”. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2022; 14: 12.

[18] Hermens HJ, Freriks B, Disselhorst-Klug C, Rau G. “Development of recommendations for SEMG sensors and sensor placement procedures”. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2000; 10(5): 361-74.

[19] Hargrave MD, Carcia CR, Gansneder BM, Shultz SJ. “Subtalar pronation does not influence impact forces or rate of loading during a single-leg landing”. J Athl Train. 2003; 38(1): 18-23.

[20] de Britto MA, Carpes FP, Koutras G, Pappas E. “Quadriceps and hamstrings prelanding myoelectric activity during landing from different heights among male and female athletes”. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2014; 24(4): 508-12.

[21] McLean SG, Borotikar B, Lucey SM. “Lower limb muscle pre-motor time measures during a choice reaction task associate with knee abduction loads during dynamic single leg landings”. Clin Biomech. 2010; 25(6): 563-9.

[22] Huber C, Nüesch C, Göpfert B, Cattin PC, von Tscharner V. “Muscular timing and inter-muscular coordination in healthy females while walking”. J Neurosci Methods. 2011; 201(1): 27-34. doi:

[23] Gillis GB, Akella T, Gunaratne R. “Do toads have a jump on how far they hop? Pre-landing activity timing and intensity in forelimb muscles of hopping Bufo marinus”. Biol Lett. 2010; 6(4): 486-9. doi:

[24] Fu SN, Hui-Chan CWY. “Are there any relationships among ankle proprioception acuity, pre-landing ankle muscle responses, and landing impact in man?”. Neurosci Lett. 2007; 417(2): 123-7.

[25] Surenkok O, Aytar A, Tüzün EH, Akman MN. “Cryotherapy impairs knee joint position sense and balance”. Isokinet Exerc Sci. 2008; 16(1): 69-73.

[26] Racinais S, Oksa J. “Temperature and neuromuscular function”. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2010; 20: 1-18. doi:

[27] Shimose R, Ushigome N, Tadano C, Sugawara H, Yona M, Matsunaga A, et al. “Increase in rate of force development with skin cooling during isometric knee extension”. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2014; 24(6): 895-901. doi:

[28] Medina JM, McLeod TCV, Howell SK, Kingma JJ. “Timing of neuromuscular activation of the quadriceps and hamstrings prior to landing in high school male athletes, female athletes, and female non-athletes”. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2008; 18(4): 591-7.

[29] Wegmann M, Faude O, Poppendieck W, Hecksteden A, Fröhlich M, Meyer T. “Pre-cooling and sports performance”. Sport Med. 2012; 42(7): 545-64.

Sport Sciences and Health Research
Volume 15, Issue 1
January 2023
Pages 99-111