The comparison of selected kinetic factors during a cross-cutting maneuver in soccer players with athletics groin pain and healthy ones: Implications for injury prevention

Introduction: This study aimed to compare selected kinetic factors during a cross-cutting maneuver in soccer players with athletics groin pain (AGP) and healthy ones. Martials and Methods: Twenty-eight soccer players (healthy group (n=14) and AGP group (n=14)) who take part in the first and second division league took part in this study. A force plate at 1000 Hz sampling rate was used to evaluate the ground reaction force, rate of force development, vertical impulse and symmetry index during the cross-cutting maneuver. The MATLAB and ORIGIN PRO software were used to filter and process the force plate data. The independent sample t-test was used to compare healthy groups and AGP results. Results: The results showed the significant differences in the peak of ground reaction force (P=0.023), symmetry index (P=0.01), and rate of force development (P=0.031) in the medial-lateral direction of the dominant limb in a group with AGP. The peak of the vertical ground reaction force of the non-dominant limb was significantly higher in the AGP group (P=0.004). Conclusion: It seems that groin pain may change the kinetic profile, which puts the athletes at the potential risk of overuse injuries in the lower extremity. It is also recommended to utilize the output of the current study as an index for back to sports index, and the rehabilitation progress should be continued to reduce symptoms and recurrence of injury up to the proper symmetry.