Weak glutes could be the answer By Amby Burfoot A new study from
East Carolina University has added weak glutes to the list of
possible causes of knee pain among women runners. In a
comparison of 20 healthy male runners and 20 healthy female
runners, the females exhibited 40 per cent greater peak gluteus
maximus muscle activation and 53 per cent higher average gluteus
activation than the males. None of the women had knee pain,
sometimes called patellofemoral pain (PFP) or patellofemoral
pain syndrome (PFPS) by physicians and therapists. And head
researcher John D. Willson is quick to point out that his study
was not an experimental trial, and should not be used to give
therapy recommendations. However, past research has shown that
women suffer from PFP twice as much as men. And the researchers
do note that greater glute activation could lead to earlier
fatigue that promotes “aberrant hip and knee joint kinematics.”
Thus, “further study of the potential benefit of hip endurance
training for prevention or treat