Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Is the decreased mobility of the hip a predisposing factor?

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to analyze whether it is more frequent the presence of a decreased range of motion in the hips of recreational athletes with primary injury of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) than in a control group of volunteers without knee pathology. METHODS: We included prospectively recreational athletes between 18 and 40 years with an acute ACL injury between January 2011 and January 2013. They were compared with a control group of volunteers recreational athletes without lower limb pathology and in the same range of age. The internal and external rotations passively prior to the point at which the pelvis movement contributes were observed. The results were statistically analyzed using t test for related samples to the hips of patients with ACL injury and t test for independent variables for comparison with the control group. RESULTS: 48 patients with ACL injury and 53 healthy volunteers were evaluated. The ACL group was composed of 32 males and 16 females with an average age of 29.3 years. In the control group 26 males and 27 females were studied with a mean age of 26.6 years. Internal (IR) and external (ER) rotation in the LCA group was 22,9º and 55,5º respectively in the ipsilateral hip and 27,9º and 57,7º in the contralateral. In the control group a 35,9º of IR and 55,2º of ER was observed. The analysis showed an association between ACL injury and hypomotility of the hip further expense of a decrease in internal rotation. The analysis showed an association between ACL injury and hypomotility of the hip at the expense to a greater decrease in internal rotation. CONCLUSION: We found a statistically significant difference in the mobility of the hips in patients with ACL injury predominantly due to internal rotation, pattern that allows us to interpret this injury not only as an intrinsic etiology of the knee but also of the adjacent joints. We consider very importance to incorporate prevention activities and screening of risk factors regarding to at least high performance athletes.