Hip External Rotator Strength Is Associated With Better Dynamic Control of the Lower Extremity During Landing Tasks

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the association between hip strength and lower extremity kinematics and kinetics during unanticipated single leg landing and cutting tasks in collegiate female soccer players. Twenty-three NCAA division I female soccer players were recruited for strength testing and biomechanical analysis. Maximal isometric hip abduction and external rotation strength were measured using a hand held dynamometer and expressed as muscle torque (force × femoral length) and normalized to body weight. Three-dimensional lower extremity kinematics and kinetics were assessed with motion analysis and force plates, and an inverse dynamics approach was used to calculate net internal joint moments that were normalized to body weight. Greater hip external rotator strength was significantly associated with greater peak hip external rotation moments (r = .47; p = 0.021), greater peak knee internal rotation moments (r = .41; p = 0.048), greater hip frontal plane excursion (r = .49; p = 0.017), and less knee transverse plane excursion (r = −.56; p = .004) during unanticipated single-leg landing and cutting tasks. In addition a statistical trend was detected between hip external rotator strength and peak hip frontal plane moments (r = .39; p = .06). The results suggest that females with greater hip external rotator strength demonstrate better dynamic control of the lower extremity during unanticipated single leg landing and cutting tasks and provide further support for the link between hip strength and lower extremity landing mechanics.

Dynamic postural stability and muscle strength in patellofemoral pain: Is there a correlation?

“…The maximal torques were calculated as the product of each muscle segment and the isometric force measured with the handheld dynamometer [25]. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) [26] for isometric strength measures were between 0.90 and 0.97 for all muscles, which shows excellent reliability.…”

Dynamic knee valgus in competitive alpine skiers: Observation from youth to elite and influence of biological maturation

“…Across different sports and in connection with ACL injuries, the following major risk factors have been discussed: female gender, 7 joint laxity, 8 estrogen status, 9 hamstring to quadriceps strength ratio, 10 physical fitness, 11 and increased knee valgus or abduction moments due to weak neuromuscular control during dynamic motion tasks 12,13 . With respect to dynamic knee valgus, weak hip external rotators, poor core stability, and unfavorable activation patterns of the thigh muscles are assumed to play a key role and are, therefore, proposed to serve reasonable prevention approaches 11,14,15 . Moreover, since dynamic knee valgus can be considered as a modifiable risk factor, 16 in the last decade, several studies have investigated the dynamic knee valgus of athletes 17‐19 .…”

Kinematic chain‐related risk factors in the development of lower extremity injuries in women: A prospective study

“…In current literature, however, several studies have described the importance of frontal and/or transverse dynamic control during landing strategies. This might be explained by the fact that this study utilized the one‐legged THJ, whereas other studies included one‐legged vertical jumps or drop landings . One‐legged vertical jumps might be more demanding for frontal and transverse stability, whereas long jumps such as the one‐legged THJ might be more demanding for sagittal plane control as the trajectory of the center of mass is more sagittally oriented and deviates more in the sagittal plane within long jumps compared to vertical jumps.…”