Strength relationship of the knee musculature: effects of gravity and sport*.

The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of gravity and sport on the hamstrings-quadriceps strength relationships. The peak torques at four speeds of isokinetic exercise (60, 180, 240, 300 degrees /sec) were determined for 20 male college track athletes, including 10 sprinters and 10 distance runners. The runners were tested on a Cybex(R) II isokinetic dynamometer. Peak torque measurements were corrected for the effects of gravity. Results of the present study showed that: 1) the effects of gravity significantly alters the hamstrings to quadriceps ratio at all velocities, and 2) there is no statistically significant difference in the hamstrings quadriceps strength ratios between the two groups of athletes except at 300 O/sec. At that speed, sprinters had a higher ratio than distance runners. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1986;7(5);232-235.