Evaluation andComparison of Hip Joint Muscles Strength in Female Athletes with and without Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain

Regarding to high prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in athletes and its effect on their athletic function, an accurate evaluation before planning the rehabilitation program seems necessary in athletes with LBP. It should be considered that human movements are like as a kinetic chain. It means that any problems in every parts of this chain can cause dysfunction in the other parts of the chain. Not taking attention to the relationships between different parts of this chain may result in suboptimal rehabilitation. Therefore, focusing treatment on the entire parts of the kinetic chain besides the injured part, may prevent recurrenceof the dysfunction. Since in the kinetic chain hip muscles act as a link between lower extremities and trunk, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate and compare muscles strength of hip joint in female athletes with and without non-specific chronic LBP. Fifteen healthy female athletes and 15 female athletes with non-specific chronic LBP participated in this study. Their age was between 18-30 years. Hip extension, abduction and external rotation strength in all participants were measured. A hand-held dynamometer (HHD) was used to measure muscle strength. Since fixing HHD by examiner’s hand is fraught with error, it is fixed by a stable frame. The maximum strength value of hip extension and abduction in female athletes with LBP were significantly lower than these measures in healthy group (P < 0.05). No significant differences were seen in the maximum value of hip external rotation strength between two groups (P > 0.05). The results of the present study show that hip extension and abduction strength in female athletes with LBP were lower than these measures in healthy group. Therefore, hip strength measurements besides the examination of the spinal column seem to be necessary in evaluation and rehabilitation of the patients with LBP.