Hip-Muscle Activity in Men and Women During Resisted Side Stepping With Different Band Positions.

Context: Weakness or decreased activation of the hip abductors and external rotators has been associated with lower extremity injury, especially in females. Resisted side stepping is commonly used to address hip weakness. Whereas multiple variations of this exercise are used clinically, few data exist regarding which variations to select.

Resisted Side Stepping: The Effect of Posture on Hip Abductor Muscle Activation.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study, repeated-measures design.

Objectives: To compare hip abductor muscle activity and hip and knee joint kinematics in the moving limb to the stance limb during resisted side stepping, and to determine whether muscle activity was affected by the posture (upright standing versus squat) used to perform the exercise.

Background: Hip abductor weakness has been associated with a variety of lower extremity injuries.