Dynamic Knee Alignment and Pelvic Balance: Comparison Regarding Gender in Young Soccer Athletes *

Abstract

Objective To evaluate knee alignment in the frontal plane and pelvic balance during the step-down test in female and male soccer players. Methods Cross-sectional study carried out with male and female soccer players from under-15 and under-17 teams of a professional club in Southern Brazil. The step-down test was performed, filmed with a video camera, and evaluated according to the angular measurements obtained during movement using the Kinovea software (open source), version 0.8.24. Results The sample consisted of 38 individuals, 19 males and 19 females. Female athletes had a greater varus angle (9.42° ± 1.65°) compared to male athletes (3.91° ± 2.0°; p = 0.04). There was no difference regarding the unilateral pelvic drop between the groups. In addition, the association between the hip-related pelvic drop and the projection angle on the frontal plane of the knee was weak in both genders. Conclusion Even though the pelvic drop was observed in both genders, young female athletes had greater varus knee angles on the step-down test, which require greater attention to minimize the risk of injury.