GENDER ANALYSIS OF HIP ABDUCTOR AND ADDUCTOR FORCE RATIOS

The strength of hip abductors (ABD) and adductors (ADD) have been implicated in athletic injuries. This study assessed ABD:ADD in a variety of testing conditions and sought to assess gender differences therein. Fifteen men and fifteen women participated in this study. Subjects performed maximum voluntary isometric muscle actions for hip ABD and ADD against a portable force plate which was manually applied statically by research personal. Subjects were tested in four conditions included supine, supine with hip flexion, seated with knee extension, and standing. Results revealed no significant main effects or gender interaction for testing position for ABD:ADD, ABD force, or ADD force (p ≤ 0.05). Results show that easy to use, valid, and reliable methods of assessing ABD:ADD exist, irrespective of testing position