Correlation of Hip Passive Range of Motion with Lower Limbs Injuries in Iranian Professional Football Players

Abstract

Introduction: Football is a popular sport with a high injury rate. Lower limb injuries are accounted for 85% of injuries in professional football players. It is important to identify the predisposing factors in professional football players for screening players at an increased risk of injury. Limited hip range of motion (ROM) is one of these factors. This study aimed to evaluate the association between hip passive ROM and lower limb injury in Iranian professional football players. Results: The most common lower limb injuries were ankle and foot injuries (12.4%), groin pain (11.5%) and muscle strain (10.9%), respectively. Non-injured athletes had a significantly higher left abduction and bilateral internal rotation (IR) ROM. right side injury was associated with higher contralateral flexion and external rotation (ER) and left side injury was associated with a significantly higher contralateral extension, abduction, and IR. Restricted hip IR was associated with a higher incidence of groin pain (OR = 2.06), ACL injury (OR = 2.56), and knee injuries (OR = 4.18). A significant correlation was observed between decreased hip ER with muscle strain (OR = 1.89) and knee injuries (OR = 4.25). The higher knee and ACL injuries were also associated with reduced hip abduction (OR = 4.76 and 9.01, respectively). There was no association between ankle and foot injuries and hip passive ROM. Conclusions: This study showed that the hip passive ROM could be used to identify football players at a higher risk of lower limb injuries. Hip rotational ROM and abduction limitation were significantly associated with the incidence of several common football injuries, including groin pain, muscle strain and ACL/knee injuries and precedes their development and could be used as a screening tool for professional athletes.