Association Between Hip Range of Motion and Abductor Strength with Upper Limb Injury in Racket Sport Athletes

The aim of this study was to investigate whether hip rotational range of motion and isometric hip abduction strength are associated with a history of upper limb injury in adult racket sport athletes. The primary finding of this study was that a greater imbalance between dominant side hip external rotation and internal rotation range of motion at 90° of hip flexion was associated with a history of upper limb injuries in racket sport athletes. Both univariate and multivariate analyses supported this, with each 1° increase in ER ROM relative IR ROM associated with a 7% increase in injury likelihood. This suggests that even small asymmetries in hip rotational profile may have meaningful implications for injury risk.