Association Between Passive Hip Range of Motion and Pitching Kinematics in High School Baseball Pitchers.
Hillary A Plummer, Nicole M Bordelon, Kyle W Wasserberger and 3 others
PMID 34631253WHAT IT FOUND
In high school pitchers, more internal rotation in the back leg was linked to less trunk rotation toward home plate.
This specific range of motion explained a small part of trunk movement. No other hip range of motion measures related to pitching mechanics.
Key findings
01Greater passive internal rotation of the drive leg hip was associated with decreased trunk rotation towards home plate at foot contact.
02No other significant associations were found between hip range of motion measures and pitching kinematics.
03There were no significant differences in hip internal rotation, external rotation, or total range of motion between the drive and stride legs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (25 participants) and drawn from a limited geographic area, reducing generalizability. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that hip range of motion causes changes in pitching mechanics. The association found explained only 17.7% of the variance in trunk rotation, meaning other factors likely play a larger role. Range of motion was measured in a seated position, which may yield different values than the prone position used in other studies. The study did not measure injury rates or joint forces, only kinematics.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use hip internal rotation range of motion as a primary screen for pitching mechanics deficits in high school pitchers. The association found was weak and specific to one measure, and no range of motion differences were seen between legs.