A COMPARISON OF THE LUMBOPELVIC-HIP COMPLEX MOVEMENT PATTERNS IN PEOPLE WITH AND WITHOUT NON-SPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN DURING AN ACTIVE HIP TEST

The current study aimed to compare the rhythm of complex lumbopelvic-hip movements in subjects with and without low back pain (LBP) during an active hip internal rotation (AHIR) test. Fifteen professional athletes with LBP were recruited in this analytical study and were compared with 20 age-sex matched healthy people with no history of sports-related rotational movements. A 3D optoelectronic motion analysis system recorded the kinematics of all subjects during an AHIR in the prone position. The outcome measures included the values of hip and pelvic rotation across the test, pelvic rotation during the first half of the test and timing of hip/pelvic rotation in the transverse plane. Then, variables were compared between the two groups. The amount of internal hip rotation of the lower extremities, pelvic rotation in either first half of the pathway or throughout whole path length were all significantly higher in subjects with LBP than the healthy group (p < 0.05). Additionally, subjects with LBP showed an earlier movement of the lumbopelvic area than healthy group during the task. Asymmetric movement was seen between the right and left sides of the subjects with LBP for lower limb and hip internal rotation (HIR) ROM. The results demonstrated that the athletes with LBP who use more repetitive movements of their trunk and lower extremities during sports, show increased tendency of lumbopelvic rotation motion during AHIR test.