Relationship Between Pelvic Tilt Alignment, Strength, Mobility, and Stability in Female Collegiate Field Hockey Players

Authors

• Erin Crisley, Hofstra UniversityFollow
• Katie Sell, Hofstra UniversityFollow
• Juliana Mendes, Hofstra University
• Admar Calovini, Hofstra University
• Hailey Fener, Hofstra University
• Kaitlin Korin, Hofstra University
• Stacey Wong, Hofstra University
• Lia Karas, Hofstra University
• Douglas Melgar, Hofstra University
• Ofra Pottorf, Hofstra UniversityFollow

Abstract

Movement patterns inherent in field hockey (FH) often involve rapid hip rotation (e.g., hitting), resisting hip rotation (e.g., block tackle), or significant hip flexion (e.g., dribbling). Insufficient mobility, stability, and strength in the upper- (UE) or lower-extremity (LE) may increase the risk of inadequate pelvic tilt alignment (PTA), movement compensations, and injury in FH players. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between PTA and measures of strength, range of motion (ROM), and stability in the UE and LE of Division I (D1) female FH players during pre-season. METHODS: Twenty-three D1 FH players (19.9 ± 1.5 y; 166.4 ± 7.4 cm; 62.9 ± 7.9 kg) completed bilateral PTA evaluation using a caliper and digital inclinometer during pre-season. The dominant (D) limb for PTA was associated with the D leg. The following measures were also recorded: 1) upper and lower quadrant Y-Balance Tests (UQYBT and LQYBT) to assess stability, 2) ROM for shoulder flexion (SF), internal rotation (SIR) and external rotation (SER), and ROM for hip internal rotation (HIR) and external rotation (HER) using a goniometer, 3) sit-and-reach (SnR) test for hamstring ROM, and 4) hip adduction (ADD) and abduction (ABD) strength using a handheld dynamometer. Bilateral measures were determined for the D and non-dominant (ND) limbs for all but the SnR test. Correlations were used to explore the relationship between the PTA values for the D (PTA-D) and ND (PTA-ND) limb and UE and LE strength, ROM, and stability measures. Analyses were performed using SPSS version 30 (IBM Corp) with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The PTA-D (6.4 ± 4.2^o) and PTA-ND (4.6 ± 2.8^o) were not significantly different (t[22] = 1.46, p > 0.05). Significant correlations were found between 1) PTA-D and ABD for the D limb (r = -0.45) and HER for the ND limb (r = -0.43), and 2) PTA-ND and UQYBT for the D limb (r = -0.44) and SF and SER for the D (r = -0.43 and 0.42) and ND (r = -0.42 and -0.58) limbs (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest UE mobility and stability may be associated with PTA in FH players. This trend may be influenced by the UE and hip rotation movements inherent in FH play. Future research is needed with a larger sample size to explore the relationship between PTA and strength-, ROM-, and stability-related measures using predictive tools such as regression.

Recommended Citation

Crisley, Erin; Sell, Katie; Mendes, Juliana; Calovini, Admar; Fener, Hailey; Korin, Kaitlin; Wong, Stacey; Karas, Lia; Melgar, Douglas; and Pottorf, Ofra (2026) "Relationship Between Pelvic Tilt Alignment, Strength, Mobility, and Stability in Female Collegiate Field Hockey Players," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 15: Iss. 8, Article 17.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol15/iss8/17