Current concepts: the hip, core and kinetic chain in the overhead athlete

Abstract

Background: As overhead sports continue to grow in popularity, there has been increased interest in optimizing sports performance and injury prevention in these athletes. The hip, core, and kinetic chain have become a focus of research in recent decades, and their importance in upper extremity mechanics is now being recognized.

Methods: An extensive review was carried out to identify papers correlating the hip, core and/or kinetic chain in overhead athletic performance and injury.

Results: Recent literature has shown that efficiency and synchrony of the hips and core during an overhead movement (such as in baseball, golf, tennis, or volleyball) is essential for a powerful and precise execution of the task. Impairments of the hip and core, particularly abnormal joint mobility or weakness, can limit efficient energy transfer through the kinetic chain and may negatively impact performance. Recent epidemiologic studies have found hip pain to be common in adolescent, collegiate, and adult athletes. Moreover, hip pain in overhead athletes specifically has also been found to occur at a high rate. Abnormalities in hip range of motion, hip morphology, and core strength can lead to abnormal mechanics upstream in the kinetic chain, which may place athletes at risk of injuries.

Conclusion: In this review, the complex and multifaceted relationship between the hip, core, and kinetic chain is highlighted with an emphasis on recent literature and relevant findings.

Keywords: Hip; core; injury; kinetic chain; overhead mechanics; throwing; throwing performance.