NASMI and Advances in Clinical Education

A great discussion was carried out in our recent running injury con ed course in Denver, CO. regarding an interesting article that was published in JOSPT in September 2011 on The Effect of a Hip-Strengthening Program on Mechanics During Running and During a Single-Leg Squat (Willy R. & Davis I.).In this study, the exercise group performed a 6 week hip abductor and external rotator strengthening program, the control group did not perform exercises. The first 2 weeks of strengthening were performed in a non-weightbearing position, and the next 4 weeks were weightbearing including one of the two exercises involving a squatting technique. “The conclusions of this study suggest that strengthening alone may be insufficient to alter abnormal movement patterns of the lower extremities during running. Despite large and significant gains in the strength of the hip abductors and hip external rotators, nochanges were seen in abnormal hip mechanics druing running.” However, favorable results were found in change of mechanics during a single limb squat. What can we take from this? That it doesn’t matter how much we strengthen the hip it’s not going to change faulty movement patterns in runners? NO! The importance of looking at this closely is that it proves a point that therapists who are ONLY performing standard hip strengthening and not taking the runners the next step into RUNNING SPECIFIC exercises that you are not helping a faulty movement pattern. It is important to start with some pure strengthening but it is imperative to move into retraining these muscles in the functional movement pattern of the running motion. These participants performed squatting exercises that facillitated and strengthend the hip abductors and external rotators at the same time and yes, it did carry over to improving that squatting movment pattern. What it failed to do was incorporate running specific exercises. A key point is found at the end of the article…”Hip strengthening alone may not be sufficient to change abnormal hip mechanics during running. Activity-specific neuromuscular training may be necessary to alter these aberrant motions.”

Comments are closed.