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Erschienen in:
08.07.2022 | Original Article
Shortening of hip flexor muscles and chronic low-back pain among resistance training practitioners: applications of the modified Thomas test
Erschienen in: Sport Sciences for Health | Ausgabe 3/2023
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Purpose
The assessment of muscle flexibility is important for physical exercise practitioners since an insufficient level of this physical capacity can be related to risk factors for chronic low-back pain (CLBP). This study aimed to assess the chance of shortening of the iliopsoas and rectus femoris muscles, using the modified Thomas test (MTT), to relate to CLBP.
Methods
Fifty-four resistance training practitioners of both sexes, aged between 18 and 55 years were evaluated. To check the hip and knee joints’ range of motion (ROM) reached during the MTT, images of the sagittal plane were recorded with a digital câmera. The recorded images were analyzed using the kinovea software, to obtain angular measurements. A binary logistic regression was used for evaluating the odds ratio of the independent variable (i.e., muscle shortening) influence on the dependent variable (i.e., CLBP).
Results
Significant differences were demonstrated between the hip extension angular measures in favor of women (p = 0.038758). Between lower limbs, women showed significant differences in favor of the left side measures of this joint (p = 0.036891). For the angular measurements of knee flexion, no significant differences were shown in both men (p = 0.441465) and women (p = 0.206936). A binary logistic regression showed no increased chance of the hip flexor muscles shortening being related to CLBP. The odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) were = 0.97 (0.92–1.01) and 0.99 (0.95–1.04) for range of motion (ROM) of the hip and knee joints respectively.
Conclusion
Even considering that the reduced hip joint ROM likely contributes to low-back pain, this variable alone does not explain the CLBP either in men or women.