Relationships among lateral medicine ball throw test performance, HIP and trunk muscle strength, and lower limb kinematics: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: The lateral medicine ball throw (LMBT) test is used to evaluate the throwing action, involving the entire kinetic chain and the principle of force transfer, with association between the strength of the lower limb and trunk muscles and the lower limb kinematics. The LMBT to investigate the association between lower limb kinematics and hip and trunk muscle strength.

Experimental: This was a cross-sectional study with 84 healthy and physically active young people. Determinations were made of the maximum isometric strengths of the hip abductor, lateral rotator, extensor, and flexor muscles, and the trunk lateral flexors and extensors. Kinematic analyses (2D) of the hip, knee, and ankle in the sagittal and frontal planes were performed during the countermovement phase of the LMBT, together with quantification of LMBT. Statistical analysis of the associations employed multiple linear regression, with α = 5%.

Results: There were significant associations between the LMBT and the independent variables hip extensors strength, trunk flexors strength, valgus angle, and knee flexion angle and gender. The regression model presented adjusted R² = 0.622.

Conclusions: LMBT was influenced by the trunk flexor and hip extensor muscle strengths, knee flexion kinematics, lower limb valgus in the countermovement phase, and gender.

Keywords: Isometric dynamometry; Kinematics; Muscle strength; lateral medicine ball throw.