Hip Internal Rotation in Healthy Baseball Athletes: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Hip internal rotation (IR) range of motion (ROM) is crucial for athletic performance and injury prevention in baseball.
• Limited hip IR ROM has been associated with increased injury risk in athletes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate hip IR ROM across various age groups in baseball athletes.
• To identify age groups at higher risk for injury due to hip IR deficits.
• To compare hip IR ROM between dominant and non-dominant legs and between pitchers and position players.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of studies was conducted using PubMed, Embase, OVID, and CINAHL.
• Inclusion criteria focused on healthy baseball athletes with passive bilateral hip IR ROM measurements.
• Data extraction included age, competition level, and hip IR ROM; analysis involved weighted means and pooled standard deviations.

Main Results:

• Twenty-three studies met inclusion criteria, analyzing data from youth to professional baseball athletes.
• All athlete groups demonstrated deficits in bilateral passive hip IR ROM.
• Professional athletes exhibited greater bilateral hip IR ROM compared to college athletes.

Conclusions:

• Baseball athletes across all levels show reduced hip IR ROM, indicating a potential injury risk factor.
• Professional baseball players have improved hip IR ROM compared to college players.
• The difference in hip IR ROM between dominant and non-dominant legs is negligible for both pitchers and position players.