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Author Spotlight: Quantifying Pain Experience – An Illustrative Approach Using the Pain Body Diagram
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Is stiffness related to athletic groin pain?
S J Gore1,2,3, A Franklyn-Miller1,4, C Richter1
1Sports Medicine Research Department, Sports Surgery Clinic, Dublin, UK.
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
|February 10, 2018
Summary
Athletic groin pain (AGP) impacts joint stiffness, particularly hip abductor stiffness. Rehabilitation improved hip abductor stiffness, suggesting it as a key focus for recovery in athletes with AGP.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Sports Medicine
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Athletic groin pain (AGP) is a frequent injury in field sports.
- Biomechanical measures like stiffness are potential indicators of injury risk.
- Stiffness has not been previously investigated in relation to AGP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if AGP influences vertical and joint stiffness.
- To determine if successful rehabilitation correlates with changes in stiffness.
- To identify specific stiffness measures relevant to AGP and its recovery.
Main Methods:
- A biomechanical examination of stiffness was conducted using a lateral hurdle hop test.
- Sixty-five male athletes with AGP and fifty male controls participated.
- AGP participants were assessed pre- and post-rehabilitation; controls were assessed once.
Main Results:
- Pre-rehabilitation, athletes with AGP showed significantly different ankle plantar flexor, knee extensor, hip abductor, and vertical stiffness compared to controls.
- Following rehabilitation and clearance for return to play, only hip abductor stiffness significantly improved.
- Post-rehabilitation hip abductor stiffness became non-significantly different from the uninjured control group.
Conclusions:
- Hip abductor stiffness may be a crucial target for rehabilitation in athletes with AGP.
- Lower sagittal plane and vertical stiffness in AGP athletes post-clearance might indicate compensatory mechanisms or neuromuscular detraining.
- Further research into stiffness alterations could enhance AGP prevention and treatment strategies.
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