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Relationship Between Hip Abduction Strength And Dynamic Balance In Female Gymnasts

2022; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 54; Issue: 9S Linguagem: Inglês

10.1249/01.mss.0000879784.71440.97

1530-0315

Adrian Aron, Brent Harper, Stephen M. Glass, Elise Piper, Deanna Lu, Hunter Reese, Natalie Weber,

Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention

The lower quarter Y-balance test (YBT) assesses dynamic postural control in three reach directions. Deficits in dynamic performance have been shown to increase the risk for sustaining injuries. Larger hip abductor muscle strength (HAbd) has been related to reach distance performance in females 25-80 years; however, no studies have assessed associations between HAbd and YBT performance in female gymnasts. PURPOSE: To investigate the association between HAbd and dynamic balance in young female gymnasts. METHODS: Thirty competitive female gymnasts (age = 13.03 ± 1.88 yr; years of practice = 8.9 ± 2.5 yr) were tested during off season. Isometric strength of the hip abductors was assessed in a side-lying position for both legs using a hand-held dynamometer. Dynamic balance was determined using the YBT with subjects reaching as far as possible in the anterior, posteromedial and posterolateral directions. RESULTS: There was no correlation between bilateral hip abduction strength and YBT values (composite or various directions). Age was the only significant predictor for right or left hip abduction strength, R2 = 0.33, p = 0.001, and R2 = 0.36, p = 0.0002, respectively. Further analysis was conducted on two groups which were created based on an average menarche age of 12. Older girls (14.3 ± 1.5 yr.) had greater HAbd (right = 38.2 ± 12.1 vs. 28.8 ± 5.7, p = 0.01; left = 38.2 ± 11.8 vs. 29.8 ± 5.3, p = 0.009) than younger girls (11.3 ± 0.6 yr). YBT values were similar between young and old gymnasts. In the younger group, right HAbd was correlated with YBT right composite (r = 0.5, p = 0.05), with a trend towards correlation between left hip abduction strength and YBT left composite (r = 0.5, p = 0.09). CONCLUSION: In gymnasts, there may be a minimum degree of HAbd required to support dynamic balance performance. For younger ages, HAbd seems to play a greater role in dynamic balance performance; however, beyond a certain level, further increases in HAbd do not confer additional benefits to dynamic balance. This group-specific effect could be related to varying levels of gymnastics skill, puberty-associated changes in proportional strength and/or muscle mass, or both. It is also possible that YBT is not sensitive enough to asses dynamic balance challenges in a sport that requires consistent specialized balance training.