Knee Kinematics When performing squats with resistance bands, both the eccentric and concentric phases significantly increase the knee valgus angle and maximum tibial rotation.
Specifically, during 80% 1RM squats, knee valgus angle increased by 28% with heavy resistance bands and by 37% during 40% 1RM squats.
During the eccentric phase, the valgus angle increased by 32% at 80% 1RM and 27% at 40% 1RM.
The maximum tibial rotation angle increased by an average of 1.78° at 80% 1RM and 1.75° at 40% 1RM when using heavy resistance bands compared to no resistance bands.
Muscle Activity Resistance bands significantly increased gluteus maximus (GM) activation.
Specifically, heavy resistance bands elevated GM EMG by 13.25% during high-load squats and by 23.15% during low-load squats.
In contrast, activation of the vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM) decreased, especially during low-load squats where peak VL EMG was significantly lower with heavy resistance bands than without.
These findings suggest resistance bands do not reduce knee varus or tibial rotation but instead increase these angles, potentially elevating knee injury risk.
Furthermore, resistance bands primarily enhanced gluteus maximus activation while having limited effects on other lower-limb muscles.
Key Findings and Conclusions Resistance bands increase knee varus angle and maximum tibial rotation angle, potentially elevating knee injury risk.
While gluteus maximus activation significantly increases, other lower-limb muscles show inconsistent enhancement.
This suggests caution is warranted when using resistance bands in training and rehabilitation.
While resistance bands increased gluteus maximus activation, they also significantly increased knee varus angle and maximum tibial rotation angle, potentially elevating the risk of knee joint injury.
Therefore, coaches and clinicians are advised to carefully consider whether to continue using resistance bands for squat training, and future studies should further evaluate their long-term effects and gender-specific differences.
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