title: A new clinical test for measurement of lower limb specific range of motion in football players: Design, reliability and reference findings in non-injured players and those with long-standing adductor-related groin pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The association between groin pain and range of motion is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to develop a test to measure sport specific range of motion (SSROM) of the lower limb, to evaluate its reliability and describe findings in non-injured (NI) and injured football players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-controlled.
  
  
  METHODS
  6 Dutch elite clubs, 6 amateur clubs and a sports medicine practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  103 NI elite and 83 NI amateurs and 57 football players with unilateral adductor-related groin pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sport specific hip extension, adduction, abduction, internal and external rotation of both legs were examined with inclinometers. Test-retest reliability (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC) were calculated. Non-injured players were compared with the injured group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intra and inter tester ICCs were acceptable and ranged from 0.90 to 0.98 and 0.50-0.88. SEM ranged from 1.3 to 9.2° and MDC from 3.7 to 25.6° for single directions and total SSROM. Both non-injured elite and amateur players had very similar total SSROM in non-dominant and dominant legs (188-190, SD ± 25). Injured players had significant (p < 0.05) total SSROM deficits with 187(SD ± 31)° on the healthy and 135(SD ± 29)° on the injured side.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SSROM test shows acceptable reliability. Loss of SSROM is found on the injured side in football players with unilateral adductor-related groin pain. Whether this is the cause or effect of groin pain cannot be stated due to the study design. Whether restoration of SSROM in injured players leads to improved outcomes should be investigated in new studies.
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Utrecht Oost, Sports Rehabilitation and Manual Therapy Unit, Bloemstraat 65D, 3581 WD Utrecht, The Netherlands; Dutch Institute of Allied Health Care, Masters Program Physical Therapy in Sports, Amersfoort, The Netherlands; Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Traumatology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Academic Centre for Evidence Based Sports Medicine (ACES), Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: igor.tak@gmail.com.
authors.forename: I J R
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Tak
authors.affiliation: Dutch Institute of Allied Health Care, Masters Program Physical Therapy in Sports, Amersfoort, The Netherlands; Physiotherapy Dukenburg, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; SOMT, Masters Program in Manual Therapy, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R F H
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Langhout
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Dukenburg, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Groters
authors.affiliation: Sports Groin Pain Centre, Aspetar Hospital, Sports Medicine Department, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weir
authors.affiliation: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, School of Sports & Nutrition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Stubbe
authors.affiliation: Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Traumatology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Academic Centre for Evidence Based Sports Medicine (ACES), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G M M J
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Kerkhoffs
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D006119:Groin / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D009426:Netherlands; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries*
keywords: Adductor; Football; Groin pain; Range of motion; Reliability