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Main authors: Fernando Domínguez-Navarro, Josep Carles Benítez-Martínez, Borja Ricart-Luna, Pedro Cotolí-Suárez, Jose María Blasco-Igual and Jose Casaña-Granell.

Introduction

Women's basketball is experiencing a rapid growth, but with it, the incidence of lower body injuries is also increasing. Ankle sprains and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are the most common, and female players are between two and eight times more likely than males to suffer these injuries.

In this context, a study conducted by the Universitat de València and the Valencia Basket – L’Alqueria LAB analysed an essential but hardly explored aspect: the relationship between hip abductor and adductor strength, dynamic balance and ankle mobility in elite young female players.

The study

• Participants: 60 female players of between 13 and 18 years (categories U14, U16 and U18).
• Testing methods:
  • Isometric strength of hip abductors and adductors (measured using ForceFrame).
  • Y Balance Test (YBT): assesses dynamic balance and postural control.
  • Ankle dorsiflexion test (Lunge Test): measures weight-bearing mobility.

Imbalances between both legs and strength ratio between abductors and adductors were also studied.

Main findings

1. Abductors play the key role: despite both abductors (ABD) and adductors (AD) were related to balance and ankle mobility, only hip abductor strength significantly predicted the results of Y Balance Test.
2. Age and strength: no significant differences between age groups were found, excepting hip abductor strength, which increased with age and competitive category.
3. Clear correlations: 
   • ​​​​​​​Abductors correlated with balance and dorsiflexion both in homolateral and contralateral leg. 
   • Adductors showed associations only in the homolateral leg.
4. Imbalances and ratios: the adductor/abductor ratio was not a good predictor of balance or mobility in this sample, although it may be more relevant in other sports.

Practical applications

• Coaches and physical trainers: include specific hip abductor exercises (gluteus medium and minimus) in strengthening and injuries prevention programmes.
• Injuries prevention: improving abductor strength may help reduce the risk of ankle sprains and ACL injuries, which are the most common injuries in female players.
• Functional evaluation: tests such as Y Balance Test and weight-bearing dorsiflexion enable to monitor risks and progress easily.

Conclusions

The study proves that in elite young female basketball players, hip abductor strength is a key factor for dynamic balance and ankle mobility.

Strengthening these muscles not only improves sport performance, but may also be crucial for knee and ankle injuries prevention, which are the main enemies of women's basketball.

This research is part of the work carried out by the Basketball Chair L'Alqueria del Baloncesto – Universitat de València, whose aim is to apply science to the daily practice of players and coaches.

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