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Review
. 2009 Feb;18(1):60-75.
doi: 10.1123/jsr.18.1.60.

Relationship between the hip and low back pain in athletes who participate in rotation-related sports

Marcie Harris-Hayes  1 , Shirley A Sahrmann, Linda R Van Dillen
Affiliations
Review

Relationship between the hip and low back pain in athletes who participate in rotation-related sports

Marcie Harris-Hayes et al. J Sport Rehabil. 2009 Feb.

Abstract

Context: Hip function has been proposed to be related to low back pain (LBP) because of the anatomical proximity of the hip and lumbopelvic region. To date, findings have been inconclusive, possibly because the samples studied were heterogeneous. Sub-grouping samples based on characteristics such as activity demand, LBP classification, and sex might clarify research findings.

Objective: To describe and summarize studies that examine 3 factors proposed to be important to the study of the hip-LBP relationship.

Design: Review of cross-sectional studies.

Setting: Academic health-care center and research laboratory.

Subjects: 3 groups: athletes with a history of LBP who regularly participate in rotation-related sports, athletes without a history of LBP who are active but do not regularly participate in rotation-related sports, and athletes without a history of LBP who participate in rotation-related sports.

Main outcome: Hip range of motion and hip-lumbopelvic region coordination.

Measures: Hip range of motion was measured with an inclinometer. Coordination was examined based on kinematics obtained with a 3-dimensional motion-capture system.

Result: Differences among groups were found based on activity demand, LBP classification, and sex.

Conclusion: When assessing athletes with and without LBP, characteristics such as activity demand, LBP classification, and sex should be considered.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Difference in start time of knee flexion and lumbopelvic motion during the test of knee flexion for people with a history of low back pain (LBP) and people without a history of low back pain (no LBP). *Significant difference between groups, P = .009. (b) Difference in start time of hip lateral rotation and lumbopelvic motion during the hip lateral-rotation test for people in the LBP group and the no-LBP group. *Significant difference between groups, P = .02.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Difference in start time (startdiff) of lumbopelvic rotation (LPR) relative to start time of hip lateral rotation (HLR) during right and left HLR for people in 2 low-back-pain subgroups. Subjects in the lumbar-rotation (Rot) subgroup demonstrated more symmetry in timing of lumbopelvic rotation during the HLR test (r = .94, P = .00) than the lumbar-extension-with-rotation (ExtRot) subgroup (r = .31, P = .12). Startdiff is the difference in time between the start of HLR and LPR. Value was normalized to hip lateral-rotation movement time. (a) Relationship between right and left startdiff values for people in the Rot subgroup. (b) Relationship between right and left startdiff values for people in the ExtRot subgroup.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Gender differences in percent lumbopelvic rotation achieved from 0% to 60% of hip lateral rotation. *Significant difference between groups, P < .01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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