Active pelvic tilt is reduced in athletes with groin injury; a case-controlled study

To study if athletes with groin injury had less active pelvic tilt (APT) than non-injured controls. Case-control. Sports physiotherapy clinics and sports clubs. 17 athletes (Tegner>5, age 25.1(5.2) with groin injury and 27 healthy controls (Tenger>5, age 24.4(3.6)). Active pelvic tilt, defining the ability of an individual to actively tilt the pelvis anteriorly and posteriorly over a frontal axis, and hip range of motion (HROM) parameters. Linear regression model associations with generalized estimated equations revealed that APT was lower on injured sides compared to non-injured for total (21.1(7.1) vs. 27.2(8.0), P = .003, effect size (ES) = 0.8) and anterior (10.2(5.9) vs. 13.7(4.8), P = .004, ES = 0.65) APT. Posterior APT (−10.9(3.6) vs. −13.4(5.2), P = .06, ES = 0.56) showed a trend towards being lower in those with groin injury. HROM parameters were not found associated. Total active and anterior pelvic tilt were lower on the injured side in athletes with groin injury when compared to non-injured sides and healthy controls. This may be a relevant factor to consider in rehabilitation. Whether this is a cause or effect cannot be ascertained due to the cross sectional study design. •Pelvic movement is important regarding inter-segmental energy transfer during kicking and sprinting.•Clinicians often note the inability of athletes with groin pain to actively tilt their pelvis.•We found athletes with groin pain have lower total active pelvic tilt on the injured sides than athletes without groin pain.•Reduced active pelvic tilting may be a new parameter in rehabilitation strategies for athletes with groin pain.