Monitoring hip adductor strength in professional women's football players over a season: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the changes in hip adductor strength of professional women's football players over a season.

DESIGN

One-season prospective study.

SETTING

Facilities of a national first division club.

PARTICIPANTS

Professional women's football players.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maximum hip adductor isometric strength in the long-lever and short-lever positions at four timepoints: early preseason, early season, mid-season, and end-season.

RESULTS

Twenty-two players completed the study. Hip adductor strength values in early preseason (134 ± 29 N in the long-lever position and 317 ± 68 N in the short-lever position) were significantly lower than in the early season (171 ± 29 N and 363 ± 54 N) and mid-season (163 ± 23 N and 369 ± 53 N). By the end of the season (150 ± 19 N and 345 ± 39 N), strength values had significantly declined from both early and mid-season levels. Visual inspection of individual athletes' strength evolution over time reveals heterogeneous responses, with some players showing trajectories opposite to the group at specific time points.

CONCLUSIONS

Hip adductor strength increased from the preseason to the start of the women's football national league, remained stable during the first half of the league, but slightly declined in the second half. The heterogeneous responses among athletes underscore the importance of individualized monitoring throughout the season.