Author(s): HICKEY, J., WALSH, C., O’DONOGHUE, J., WEAVING, D., SWEENEY, L., CARMODY, S., Institution: MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY, Country: IRELAND, Abstract-ID: 2404

INTRODUCTION:
Hip adductor strength testing is as an evidence-based groin injury prevention and rehabilitation monitoring tool commonly used across multi-directional sports. In soccer, hip adductor strength is typically measured during the long-lever groin squeeze (LLGS), although this bilateral test may underestimate each limb's capacity to produce peak force. The Copenhagen adduction exercise (CAE) is an evidence-based groin injury prevention intervention, which can be instrumented with a load cell to reliably measure unilateral hip adductor strength. However, it is unknown if this measure of hip adductor strength during the CAE provides complimentary or redundant information compared to the widely used LLGS in soccer players. This study aimed to compare measures of hip adductor strength during the CAE and LLGS, investigate their level of agreement and explore their associations in male soccer players from an English Premier League academy.
METHODS:
This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 37 participants (age = 17.7±1.5years; height = 1.81±0.08m; body mass = 76.4±8.1kg), who were all male soccer players from the same English Premier League academy. Each participant provided their informed written consent to participate in this study, which was approved by the Maynooth University Research Ethics Committee (BSRESC-2025-40698). Hip adductor strength of each participant’s dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) lower limbs were measured during the CAE and LLGS, as peak force in absolute (N) and relative to body mass (N/kg) terms. These measures of hip adductor strength were compared between the CAE and LLGS using paired t-tests, while agreement and associations were investigated via Bland-Altman analyses and Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
RESULTS:
Peak force was significantly (p < 0.01) higher during the CAE vs LLGS in absolute (D = 315±37N vs 184±45N; ND = 311±37N vs 178±39N) and relative (D = 4.10±0.26N/kg vs 2.39±0.59N/kg; ND = 4.13±0.25N/kg vs 2.43±0.63N/kg) terms. Bland–Altman analyses revealed a consistent positive bias for peak force during the CAE compared to LLGS with wide 95% limits of agreement in absolute (D = 133N [22 to 241N]; ND = 132N [32N to 234N]) and relative (D = 1.70N/kg [0.48N/kg to 2.92N/kg]; ND = 1.72N/kg [0.56N/kg to 2.90N/kg]) terms. Associations were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) between the CAE and LLGS for peak force in absolute terms for D (r = 0.08 [-0.25 to 0.39]) and ND (r = 0.08 [-0.25 to 0.39]) or relative terms for D (r = 0.25 [-0.09 to 0.53]) and ND (r = 0.16 [-0.17 to 0.46]).
CONCLUSION:
This study has demonstrated that peak force is significantly and consistently higher during the CAE compared to the LLGS in male soccer players from an English Premier League academy. The poor agreement and lack of associations between peak force during the CAE and LLGS indicate that these measures provide complimentary information about different aspects of hip adductor strength in this context.