Hip Flexor Resistance Training on Pin Young Female Cricket Players
Condition: Hip Flexion Contractures
MeSH terms: Contracture; Hip Contracture
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this research is to study the role of hip flexor strength in the act of particular
      movement tasks generally required in cricket. In young cricket players, hip flexor training
      protocol may be productive in improving the acceleration time of sprint and shuttle run.

      It was a Randomized Controlled Trial conducted in National Cricket Academy Lahore, Lahore
      zonal Cricket Academy, Multan High Performance Cricket Centre during 6 months. 30
      participants were selected through Non Probability Convenience Sampling Technique with
      inclusion criteria Female cricket players involved in their training programs aged 17-25
      years and Participants should be bodily active before the start of trial for minimum 30
      minutes a day for 5 days of week. The participants were excluded if Systematic strength
      training Performed by the athletes for the hip flexors more than a week before the start of
      trial and if Athlete suffered an injury or having pain in low back area, hips or lower limbs
      in last 6 months or if they have any diagnosed Neuro-musculoskeletal, musculo-skeletal
      pathology. The Data Collection Tools were 40-yd Dash Test, Shuttle Run and Dynamometer.
    

Detailed description: 
      Cricket has undergone dramatic changes in recent years, with the development of one day and
      Twenty-twenty cricket altering some of the vital characteristics of the game. The shorter
      game formats tend to be more physically intensive when related to match duration,
      incorporating more maximal sprints when fielding, bowling, and batting. As a result of these
      demands, running speed has become an essential athletic quality for cricketers and therefore
      must be assessed correctly. Based on the action of the legs, a running cycle can be
      subdivided into 3 phases-a supporting phase that begins when the foot lands and ends when the
      athlete's center of gravity (CG) passes forward of it, a driving phase that begins as the
      supporting phase ends and ends as the foot leaves the ground, and a recovery phase during
      which the foot is off the ground and is being brought forward preparatory to the next
      landing. Although quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles are mainly responsible for
      propelling the body forward during running and jumping exercises, hip flexor muscles also
      contribute to these actions. Specifically, the hip flexor muscles assist in bringing the free
      leg forward and upward during the recovery phase of running. Muscular strength is one of the
      components of physical fitness. Athletes of different sports use resistance training to
      improve their muscular strength. Among the exercises that are commonly performed by athletes,
      hip flexion is one of the most ignored exercises in strength and conditioning for sports
      performance. Hip flexion exercises are often neglected in strength training programs for
      popular sports such as football, basketball, and soccer. Young et al. in 2011 study of the
      effects of strength training and reported that 2 sessions per week over a soccer season
      produced significant gains in isokinetic hip flexor and extensor strength as well as knee
      extensor and flexor strength. This was accompanied by a significant increase in maximum
      kicking distance, which was not observed in non-strength trained players. F. Tyler et al
      reported that the hip strength and flexibility play role in the incidence of adductor and hip
      flexor strains in ice hockey players. Deane et al. in an RCT compares two types of training
      programs, it was observed that high resistance training resulted in an improved initial
      acceleration phase, whereas high-velocity training resulted in an improved initial
      acceleration and maximum speed. Almost all methods or interventions focus on muscles
      associated with the driving phase of running (i.e., gluteus maximus, 2 quadriceps, and
      plantar flexors), whereas the training of muscles responsible for the recovery phase has not
      been explored. Specific ways of strengthening the hip-flexors in injury prevention or
      post-surgical rehabilitation have not previously been well described in the sports medicine
      literature. Acute injuries to the rectus femoris are often experienced in kicking sports,
      such as in the different football codes, whereas longstanding iliopsoas-related pain is
      common in football players, runners and dancers. Simple ways of improving hip flexor strength
      and function are needed in injury prevention. In addition to exercise machines and
      free-weight exercises, resistance training using elastic tubing has been demonstrated to be
      effective in strength development and improving sports performance. The clinical advantage of
      the elastic band is that it is portable and inexpensive, takes up very little space and can
      be used everywhere, indoor as well as outdoor, wherever solid attachment of the elastic band
      is possible. Hip flexor injuries are common in cricket players.

      Literature is available on hip flexor training on soccer and ice hockey and mostly studies
      are done on the dominant sided leg. This study will be an initial attempt in Pakistan to
      explore the role of hip flexor strength in the performance of selected movement tasks
      commonly required in cricket.
    

Intervention name(s): Traditional training protocol; Hip flexor resistance protocol
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Mobility and core strengthening and the steps and lunges As per athletes requirement Body weight squat with 12 reps, Body weight split squat with 8 each side, Bilateral hip raise with 12 reps, Push-up with15 reps and Cricket related skills as per coach advised; Warm up prior to training The loop bands (Resistance-band©) that were used are in several colors-Red, black, yellow, blue and green extended from strongest type to weakest.
Athletes executed 3 training sessions of 3 sets per week for 6 weeks.
The relative load was:
Week 1----15 RM Week 2-4----10 RM Week 5-6----8 RM The Therapist has ensured a concentric contraction of 3-s, an isometric contraction of 2-s, eccentric contraction of 3-s, rest for 2-s prior to the next repetition and rest for 2-min prior the next set.
It took 10 min to complete each session, with rest between sets.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Agility; Hip flexors; Resistance training; Speed; strength