Abstract des Autors

There are two sensorimotor control mechanisms which seem to be important in the regulation of knee joint function. On the one hand there is a ligament-muscle reflex arc that leads to spontaneous contraction of the thigh muscles. On the other hand there is a stiffness regulation system. Afferent information of joint sensors processed by the fusimotor system seems to play an important role in controlling joint stiffness during slow movements. It is supposed that functional properties of the knee joint complex are sensitive to sensorimotor training. Common stabilisation tasks are usually done bare-footed. In order to transfer the maximum strain to the knee joint a fixation of the ankle joint seems helpful. Thus, it had to be examined whether a fixation of the ankle joint during the training influences the neuromuscular activation pattern of the stabilising knee joint muscles in order to improve the stiffness at the knee joint complex. The subjects were examined before and after the sensorimotor training with regard to stiffness regulation and neuromuscu-lar control strategies. After the training, the stiffness of the knee joint was increased in the training group with fixed ankle joint but not in the training group that trained barefoot. Improved knee joint stiffness was accompanied by increased activation of the hamstrings. It has been concluded that sensorimotor training with a fixed ankle joint has a higher impact on the improvement in neuromuscular stiffness control at the knee joint complex. Verf.-Referat