Comparison of Golfers and Non-golfers Weight-bearing Hip Rotaton Joint Range of Motion

INTRODUCTION Participation in sports places specific demands on the musculoskeletal system that, over time, may cause adaptations in soft-tissue. Athletes who participate in sports requiring repetitive rotational movement on one side and not the other (such as overhead sports) have experienced differences in their side-to-side joint range of motion. Range of motion (ROM) asymmetry such as this has been linked to injury. Although this phenomenon has been documented for the upper extremities, little is known about similar adaptation in the lower extremity structures such as the hip. Athletes who participate in sports experience rotational movement in a functional capacity (weight-bearing status). Although there are established norms for passive and active hip rotation ROM, these measures have typically been made in a nonweight-bearing status. The purpose of the study was to examine anatomical limits of hip rotation ROM (weightbearing conditions) in elite female golfers and age-matched non-golfing controls to determine if asymmetry between the hips exists.