Impact of hip abductor and adductor strength on dynamic balance and ankle biomechanics in young elite female basketball players.

Muscles weakness can affect to injury risk, in lower limb hip abductor (ABD) and adductor (AD) muscles have not been elucidated how affect in female basketball players, such as balance and ankle mobility. This study aimed to investigate hip ABD and AD strength and their relation in balance and ankle dorsiflexion mobility in young elite female basketball players. Observational study in a total of 60 trainee-level elite female basketball players (13–17 years old) were included. Hip ABD and AD isometric strength values were collected. The correlation study showed that hip ABD strength had a low-moderate correlation with balance and ankle mobility in the homolateral and contralateral leg, while there was a low-moderate correlation between hip AD strength and balance and ankle mobility only in the homolateral leg. On the other hand, the ABD-AD ratio was not found to correlate with balance or mobility scores, nor the degree of muscle imbalance between legs. Hip ABD and AD strength affects balance and ankle mobility in trainee level female basketball players. These findings should thus be taken into consideration when designing strategies aimed at reducing the risk of limb injury, which has a high prevalence in women's basketball.