Effect of hip abductors training on pelvic drop and knee valgus in runners with medial tibial stress syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) is a prevalent running-related injury that could impact athletic performance and quality of life. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of functional hip abductor strength training on reducing contralateral pelvic drop angle (hip frontal plane projection angle), and dynamic knee valgus (knee frontal plane projection angle) in runners with medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS).

Methods: Forty male and female recreational runners were diagnosed with MTSS for at least one month. The age ranged from 25 to 35 years old, and the body mass index (BMI) ranged between (18.5 and 25 kg/m²) participated in this study. This was a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized into two groups: a control group (Group A, n = 20) received a selected physical therapy exercise program, and an experimental group (Group B, n = 20) received the same program plus functional hip abductor strength training. Dynamic knee valgus (frontal plane projection angle) and contralateral pelvic drop angle were measured using 2D video and analyzed by Kinovea software at baseline and after 8 weeks. Mixed-effect multifactor analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to compare within and between groups effects on FPPA and pelvic drop angle.

Results: After 8 weeks, Group B exhibited a significantly decreased frontal plane projection and pelvic drop angles compared to Group A (p < 0.05). Group A also demonstrated a reduced pelvic drop angle, but to a lesser extent, and their frontal plane projection angle increased.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that 8 weeks of functional hip abductor strength training, combined with traditional physical therapy, effectively improves lower extremity kinematics in runners with MTSS by reducing dynamic knee valgus and contralateral pelvic drop. This targeted approach likely addresses underlying muscle weakness and movement dysfunction, offering hope for potentially reducing MTSS recurrence.

Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov. NO: NCT05637476. Date: December 1, 2022.