The relationship between corticomotor excitability of gluteus maximus and the hip extensor moment during a single-leg drop jump

The purpose of this study was to determine the association between corticomotor excitability (CME) of the gluteus maximus (GM) and the average hip extensor moment during single-leg drop jump. Thirty-two healthy individuals (17 females, 15 males) participated. The slope of the input-output curve obtained from transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to assess CME of GM. The average hip extensor moment during the stance phase of the single-leg drop jump was calculated to represent use of hip extensors. A significant positive correlation between CME of GM and the average hip extensor moment during the single-leg drop jump was found (r= 0.45, p= 0.01). Our findings suggest that the use of the hip extensors is associated with the strength of the descending neural drive along the corticospinal pathway and highlights the importance of centrally-mediated factors related to lower extremity biomechanics.