Normative Measures of Hip Strength and Relation to Previous Injury in Collegiate Cross-Country Runners

Context Running-related injury occurs frequently in collegiate cross-country runners. Hip strength is one factor that may be important in the rehabilitation and training of cross-country runners. However, no normative values exist to inform these strategies. Objective To establish normative values for hip-abduction and external-rotation isometric strength in collegiate cross-country runners and explore the association between strength and previous injury. Design Mixed methods using descriptive epidemiology and retrospective cross-sectional designs. Setting University laboratory. Patients or Other Participants Eighty-two National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III cross-country runners (38 males, 44 females). Main Outcome Measure(s) Isometric hip strength and reported injury. Results Males demonstrated greater absolute hip strength than females. Measures of hip strength were not different between sexes when normalized to height and mass. Hip-abduction asymmetry was associated with a previous injury in males. A combination of at least 1 leg with hip-abduction weakness and bilateral external-rotation weakness was associated with a previous injury in females. Conclusions Knowledge of normative values of hip strength may help inform rehabilitation strategies in collegiate cross-country runners. Males and females may demonstrate different strength profiles after running-related injury.