Media release

From: The Royal Society

Biomechanical features of a novel step-down-and-pivot task in football players with and without hip/groin pain

Hip and/or groin pain is common in young well-trained athletes. Without prompt intervention, it can rapidly progress to serious conditions like early-onset osteoarthritis. A principal challenge is the detection of pathological changes early in its natural history, as well-trained athletes are often tolerant of pain and discomfort. Using biomechanical modelling and statistical learning methods, we identified and characterised small differences between athletes with and without hip/groin pain during a simple but novel movement task designed to provoke the hip: the step-down-and-pivot. We found several salient features of step-down-and-pivot biomechanics with hip/groin pain that may inform clinical assessment and support intervention