Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep 1;20(3):314-324.

Neuromuscular performance changes throughout the menstrual cycle in physically active females

Lee Weidauer  1   2 , Mary Beth Zwart  2 , Jeffrey Clapper  3 , Joe Albert  2 , Matt Vukovich  2 , Bonny Specker  1
Affiliations

Neuromuscular performance changes throughout the menstrual cycle in physically active females

Lee Weidauer et al. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. .

Abstract

Objectives: To determine changes in neuromuscular performance throughout the menstrual cycle in females aged 18-25.

Methods: Fifty physically active college females (25 on oral contraceptives (OC)) were recruited to participate. Data collection visits coincided with early-follicular (Fp), ovulatory (Op), and the mid-luteal (Lp) phases. Isokinetic peak torque at the knee (IPT) was measured at 60°/sec, 180°/sec, and 300°/sec. Grip force was measured using a handheld dynamometer. Plasma estradiol and progesterone confirmed menstrual cycle and serum relaxin was screened as a potential covariate.

Results: Grip strength was lower during Fp (30.1±0.7kg) than during Op (31.5±0.7 kg, p=0.003) and Lp (32.6±0.7 kg, p<0.001). IPT at 60°/sec was lower during Fp (83±14 nM) than during the Op (86±15 nM, p=0.02). IPTs at 180°/sec and 300°/sec were lower during Fp than Op and Lp (180°:54±10 vs. 58±10 and 61±11 nM [both, p<0.001]; 300°: 43±9 vs. 46±9 and 47±9 nM [both<0.001]. The OC group-by-phase interaction was not significant for any of the outcomes.

Conclusions: Results indicate that muscular performance is diminished during Fp and the lack of group-by-phase interaction indicates that this effect is not hormone-related. These data indicate that females may be at a greater risk of injury due to decreased strength during Fp than other phases of their cycle.

Keywords: ACL; Female; Grip; Isokinetic; Menstrual.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Positioning of the participant for isokinetic testing on the Biodex System 4 ergometer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Marginal mean peak torque at 60o, 180o, and 300o per second (marginal mean ± SE). Data are marginal means after adjusting for contraception group (not significant), lean mass, and fat mass. Data were compared within different test speeds using pairwise comparisons using a Bonferroni adjustment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hollander IE, Bell NS. Physically demanding jobs and occupational injury and disability in the U.S. Army. Mil Med. 2010;175(10):705–712. - PubMed
    1. Taanila H, Suni J, Pihlajamäki H, Mattila VM, Ohrankämmen O, Vuorinen P, Parkkari J. Musculoskeletal disorders in physically active conscripts:A one-year follow-up study in the Finnish defence forces. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2009;10(1):89. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Slater LV, Wasserman EB, Hart JM. Trends in recurrent anterior cruciate ligament injuries differ from new anterior cruciate ligament injuries in college and high school sports 2009-2010 mthrough 2016-2017. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019;7(11) Online Only. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Friel NA, Chu CR. The role of ACL injury in the development of posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis. Clin Sports Med. 2013;32(1):1–12. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stanley LE, Kerr ZY, Dompier TP, Padua DA. Sex differences in the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, and meniscal injuries in collegiate and high school sports. Am J Sports Med. 2016;44(6):1565–1572. - PubMed