Hip torques and the effect of posture in side-stepping with elastic resistance

The way movement-based exercises affect targeted muscles is not always obvious. Side stepping with an elastic band around the forefeet is aimed at strengthening hip abductors and lateral rotator muscles, with the premise that it creates an external torque of adduction and medial rotation of the femur around the pelvis that needs to be counteracted by hip muscles. However, hip torques during this exercise have not been previously quantified.

Is the premise that the side-stepping exercise creates an external torque of adduction and medial rotation of the femur around the pelvis correct?

Thirty-six adults performed the exercise in an upright and a squat posture while 3D kinetic and kinematic data were collected. Hip muscle torques were calculated using inverse dynamics. The effect of posture and potential interactions with sex, side-stepping phases, and trailing/leading directions were analyzed using Pearson correlation and mixed-model ANOVAs.

A hip net muscle torque of extension, abduction and medial rotation was required to perform the exercise, regardless of phase and direction. The net muscle torque towards medial rotation required during the exercise was smaller (P < 0.001) in the upright (0.05-0.12 N m kg^-1 m^-1 across phases) compared to the squat posture (0.10-0.24 N m kg^-1 m^-1). In contrast, hip abductor torque was not affected by posture. When averaged across phases and directions, the normalized hip medial rotator muscle torque was highly correlated with knee flexion (r = 0.93, P < 0.001).

The assumption that the side-stepping with the elastic band on the forefeet creates an external hip torque of medial rotation is erroneous. The resistance imposed to the hip during this exercise is consistent with the goal of strengthening the muscles that contribute to hip abduction and hip medial (not lateral) rotation. Changing the knee flexion angle is an effective way to manipulate hip rotator torque when prescribing this exercise in strength training and rehabilitation programs.