The relevance of figure-of-eight walk test to hip muscle strength in healthy young males.

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the contribution of hip muscle torque to figure-of-eight walk (F8W) test in healthy young males. [Participants and Methods] Twenty healthy young males (40 limbs; mean age, 21.7 ± 0.6 years) participated. We measured the maximum F8W speed and steps. The hip muscle strengths (MS) of the flexor, extensor, abductor, and adductor muscles as well as the internal and external rotators (ER) were measured using a handheld belt-stabilized dynamometer. The hip muscle torque to weight-bearing index (WBI) is expressed as the measured MS divided by the lower thigh or shin length and body weight. [Results] F8W-time and F8W-rate were relevant to the ER-WBI (F8W time: β=-0.330; F8W rate: β=0.369). [Conclusion] This study's findings suggest that hip ER strength contributes to F8W in healthy young males.
Competing Interests: This research was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI Grant numbers 22K17636 (SO). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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