T. Tyler et al., A NEW PELVIC TILT DETECTION DEVICE - ROENTGENOGRAPHIC VALIDATION AND APPLICATION TO ASSESSMENT OF HIP MOTION IN PROFESSIONAL ICE HOCKEY PLAYERS, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy, 24(5), 1996, pp. 303-308
Professional ice hockey players often sustain hip and low back strains
. We hypothesized that playing the sport of ice hockey may result in t
he shortening of the iliopsoas muscles, increasing the likelihood of l
umbosacral strains and hip injuries. The purpose of this study was to
identify whether ice hockey players demonstrate a decrease in hip exte
nsion range of motion when compared with age-matched controls. Objecti
ve data were obtained using the Thomas test with an electrical circuit
device to determine pelvic tilt motion. The device was validated by o
btaining X-rays in six subjects during the Thomas test The study then
examined 25 professional hockey players and 25 age-matched controls. A
two-way analysis of variance was applied for statistical analysis to
examine the effect of sport and side. The results demonstrated that ic
e hockey players have a reduced mean hip extension range of motion (p
< .0001) by comparison with age-matched controls. There was no differe
nce between right and left sides, nor was there any interaction of the
sport with the side of the body. Therefore, hockey players demonstrat
ed a decreased extensibility of the iliopsoas muscles. Future research
may be directed toward establishing a link between prophylactic stret
ching and injury rate in professional ice hockey players.