Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2025
Measuring 3D In-vivo Shoulder Kinematics using Biplanar Videoradiography
Published on: March 12, 2021
Hip Flexibility and Pitching Biomechanics in Adolescent Baseball Pitchers
Maxwell L Albiero1, Wesley Kokott2, Cody Dziuk1
1Sports Medicine Motion Analysis Lab, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Context:
Inadequate hip active range of motion (AROM) may stifle the energy flow through the kinematic chain and decrease pitching performance while increasing the risk for pitcher injury.
Objective:
To examine the relationship between hip AROM and pitching biomechanics during a fastball pitch in adolescent baseball pitchers.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Biomechanics laboratory.
Patients Or Other Participants:
A sample of 21 adolescent male baseball pitchers (age = 16.1 ± 0.8 years, height = 183.9 ± 5.2 cm, mass = 77.9 ± 8.3 kg).
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Bilateral hip external-rotation (ER), internal-rotation, flexion, abduction, and extension AROM were measured. Three-dimensional biomechanics were assessed as participants threw from an indoor pitching mound to a strike-zone net at regulation distance. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were used to determine relationships between hip AROM and biomechanical metrics.
Results:
Negative correlations were found at foot contact between back-hip ER AROM and torso-rotation angle (r = -0.468, P = .03), back-hip ER AROM and back-hip abduction angle (r = -0.474, P = .03), and back-hip abduction AROM and lead-hip abduction angle (r = -0.458, P = .04). Back-hip extension AROM was positively correlated with increased stride length (r = 0.446, P = .043). Lead-hip abduction AROM was also positively correlated with normalized elbow-varus torque (r = 0.464, P = .03).
Conclusions:
We observed several relationships between hip AROM and biomechanical variables during the pitching motion. These findings support the influence that hip AROM can have on pitching biomechanics. Overall, greater movement at the hips allows the kinematic chain to work at maximal efficiency, increasing the pitch velocity potential.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:23Motion of a Projectile
Horizontal motion, governed by the initial kick, maintains a constant velocity throughout the flight of the soccer ball.
01:16Bones of the Lower Limb: Femur and Patella
01:09Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
01:07Development of the Limb Synovial Joints
The mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into chondrocytes that form the hyaline cartilage, and later the cartilaginous model of the bone. This model further transforms into a bone. This process is known as endochondral ossification.
During development, the limbs...