{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,23]],"date-time":"2026-05-23T13:05:18Z","timestamp":1779541518614,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779321600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Proc Inst Mech Eng H"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Knee injuries remain prevalent in sports involving landing tasks, particularly among non-professional athletes. Sex-specific neuromuscular strategies during landing may contribute to different joint stabilization patterns. The aim of this study was to examine sex-related differences in thigh muscle activation and hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H\/Q) co-activation during standardized single-leg landings in recreational athletes. A total of 162 physically active participants (25% women) performed a single-leg drop landing from 30\u2009cm. Surface electromyography was recorded from the rectus femoris and biceps femoris and normalized to maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Muscle activation was analyzed across early post-contact time windows (50, 100, 150, and 200\u2009ms). Between-sex comparisons were conducted using independent t-tests with Bonferroni correction (\u03b1\u2009=\u20090.0033). At the group level, quadriceps activation exceeded hamstrings under MVC-normalized conditions, whereas during the early post-contact phase hamstring activation was slightly higher, with H\/Q ratios close to unity. Men showed greater quadriceps activation than women at 50\u2009ms post-contact, which remained significant after correction. Other sex differences did not reach the adjusted significance threshold. No significant sex differences were observed for hamstring activation. Recreational single-leg landings are characterized by high early-phase thigh activation with balanced H\/Q ratios. These findings suggest that early neuromuscular responses and sex-specific activation patterns should be considered when designing injury prevention and neuromuscular training programs, particularly those targeting rapid muscle coordination during the initial phase of landing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/09544119261452730","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T12:12:21Z","timestamp":1779365541000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Electromyographic and co-activation patterns during landings: A sex-based analysis in athletes"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"given":"Juan Jos\u00e9","family":"Del Ojo L\u00f3pez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Seville, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Timothy","family":"Hewett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomechanics Laboratories and Sports Medicine Research, Department of Orthopedics, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA"},{"name":"Hewett Global Consulting, Newport, KY, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9022-6043","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio Jes\u00fas","family":"S\u00e1nchez-Oliver","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Motricidad Humana y Rendimiento Deportivo, University of Seville, Spain"},{"name":"Asociaci\u00f3n de Investigaci\u00f3n e Innovaci\u00f3n en Ejercicio F\u00edsico y Tecnolog\u00edas Aplicadas al Movimiento y la Salud, Seville, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4349-5600","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00c1ngel","family":"Carnero D\u00edaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Seville, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7425-8694","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adri\u00e1n","family":"Feria Madue\u00f1o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Seville, Spain"},{"name":"Asociaci\u00f3n de Investigaci\u00f3n e Innovaci\u00f3n en Ejercicio F\u00edsico y Tecnolog\u00edas Aplicadas al Movimiento y la Salud, Seville, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Weinhandl JT Joshi M O\u2019Connor KM. 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