Does lower limb neuromuscular control differ during side-step and split-step cutting manoeuvres?

During side-step cutting, all the monitored muscles were recruited simultaneously reflecting co-contraction. Conversely, during split-step cutting, rectus femoris was initially recruited, followed by synchronous vastii and medial hamstrings onset and then lateral hamstring muscle onset. Although there were subtle differences in onset, the hamstrings ceased activity earlier than the quadriceps muscles in both cutting manoeuvres. Paired t-tests indicated that vastus medialis displayed a significantly (p < 0.02) earlier onset in the side-step compared to the split-step and rectus femoris displayed significantly (p = 0.05) longer burst duration in the split-step compared to the side-step. Whether these altered neuromuscular patterns are protective to the knee during split-step cutting manoeuvres, perhaps due to reduced anterior drawer, warrants further investigation. However, should the neuromuscular patterns observed in the split-step protect the ACL from injury, research should also investigate whether split-step cutting manoeuvres display any performance detriment compared to side-step cutting manoeuvres.