a). In the position of a runner at the starting point, the hip joint of the forward leg is flexed. The flexion position is brought about by the action of the muscles of the anterior thigh. The action of flection is facilitated by the muscle groups of the Iliopsoas and the Quadriceps Femoris. The Iliopsoas consists of the Iliacus muscles and the Psoas major. These muscles are the main hip flexors because they only act at the hip joint. The Quadriceps Femoris consists of the Vastus Medialis, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedius and Rectus Femoris. In order for flexion to occur, these muscle groups must contract (Starkey, 2011).

(b). The back leg is extended, while at the starting point. The hip extensor muscles, which include the Gluteus Maximus, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus and the Biceps Femoris act to produce the extension of the hip joint. At the same time, the muscles of the anterior thigh relax to aid this movement.

(c). When the starter fires, the hip joint of the forward leg extends. This movement is produced by the muscles that extend the hip joint, which are the Gluteus Maximus, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus and the Biceps Femoris. The muscles of the anterior knee aid this movement by relaxing (Hawley, 2008).

(d). The hip of the leg that was at the back becomes flexed when the starter gun fires and the runner starts to run forward. This action is produced by the muscles of the anterior hip, which are responsible for flexing the hip. They are the Iliacus and the Psoas major. Also, the muscles of the quadriceps femoris group contribute to this movement (Starkey, 2011).

Question 2:

(a). When one performs the classic jumping jack exercises starting with both feet at the same point, both hips will be flexed at the count of 1. Since one counts simultaneously as they jump, the first count coincides with the flexion of both hips.

(b). The movement of the flexion of the hips is facilitated by the flexor muscles, which include the anterior thigh group of muscles. These muscles include the Iliopsoas group and the Quadriceps Femoris group. The Iliopsoas consists of the Psoas major and the Iliacus. The Quadriceps Femoris consists of the Vastus Medialis, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedius and Rectus Femoris. The muscles produce the flexion movement by contracting (Hawley, 2008).

(c). At the count of 2, both hip joints will be extended. The second count coincides with the end of the first jump; the hips will be extended.

(d). The extension movement of the hip joint is facilitated by the extensor group of muscles which include Gluteus Maximus, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus and the Biceps Femoris. The muscles of the anterior thigh aid this movement by relaxing (Starkey, 2011).

Question 3:

(a). Extending the knee joint is a function that is performed by the quadriceps group of muscles, which include the Vastus Medialis, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedius ad RectusFemoris (Hawley, 2008). When this group of muscle contracts, it extends the knee along the anterior surface.

(b). The Rectus Femoris is the muscle that crosses both the hip and the knee joint. This muscle has two functions that include flexion of the hip joint and extension of the knee joint. It starts from the anterior inferior iliac spine and inserts at the top of the patella, as well as on the patella tendon found on the tibial tuberosity (Starkey, 2011).

(c). In relation to gender differences concerning the Q angle, women are thought to have a greater Q angle. Some of the reasons for this argument are attributed to the fact that women have a wider pelvis. However, this explanation has been contended at times because of the long distance between the patella and the pelvis,compared to the short distance between the patella and the tibial tuberosity. This is relevant in sports, especially in the diagnosis of sports injuries like patella contusion (Starkey, 2011).

Question 4:

The fourth action involved lying prone with the entire body on the table, then bringing the legs towards the buttocks. When one brings the legs to the buttocks in a prone position, the knee is in a flexed position. The action of flexing the knees is facilitated by group of muscles referred to as the Hamstrings. The Hamstrings group consists of the Biceps Femoris, the Smitendinosus and the Semimebranosus. Besides, there are other muscles that aid in the flexion of the knee joint. They include the Sartorius muscle, the Gracilis, the Gastrocnemius and the Popliteus muscle (Hawley, 2008).

References

Hawley, J. A. (2008). Handbook of sports medicine and science, running. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Starkey, C. (2011). Athletic training and sports medicine: an integrated approach. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.