Occurrence and degree of iliopsoas muscle contracture in regular male squash players

Abstract

Introduction: Sprints combined with changes in direction and repeated lunges are the most frequent movements during a squash game. These motions overload the iliopsoas muscle which may cause a lot of microinjuries. Accumulating microinjuries combined with a lack of stretching exercises may lead to iliopsoas contracture. Aim of the study: Assessment of the frequency and degree of iliopsoas contracture in regular squash players. Material and methods: The experimental group comprised 25 regular squash players (minimum 2 years of playing at least twice a week) and 21 non-players (control group). A modified Thomas Test was used to assess iliopsoas contracture using goniometric and linear measurements. Results: Iliopsoas contracture was observed in 96% of the squash players and 66.7% of the non-players (p = 0.0089). The degree of muscle contracture in the goniometric measurement was greater in squash players than in the non-players in both the left (p = 0.0303) and right (p = 0.0007) iliopsoas muscles. There were no statistically significant differences in the linear measurement. Conclusions: There is a positive relationship between regularly playing squash and the frequency of iliopsoas contracture occurrence being significantly greater in squash players than in non-players.

Keywords

• squash
• iliopsoas
• contracture
• modified Thomas test