Importance of Assessment Part 2

Last time i wrote about our running back whom had a few hip mobility issues come to the surface that have put him at potential risks and exposed a significant instability issue in the lower back. This next athlete has had a few issues in terms of hamstring issues and typical dings and hang ups that would be typical of a usual athlete. The other significance of him is that he is a multi-sport athlete. He is a all conference baseball short stop and was quarterback this season.

He went through an entire assessment and there were some pretty revealing issues. Below are a few test that I feel are important as indicators for potential risks factors when playing these sort of position.

Hip Internal Rotation of Lead Leg









The first thing the sort of raised red flags is the only way to perform this test he had to abduct the leg. When tested in supine position total ROM was approx. 25 degrees. Alarming because when throwing, the lead leg must plant and internally rotate in the follow through phase. It also raises risks in change of direction/planting and turning.


G-H Range of Motion on throwing arm

As you can see he is able to externally rotate pretty well without even any assistance in movement. What you should look for in this case is making sure you achieve full ROM from eternal to internal rotation. Look for 180 degrees of total ROM for sufficient movement.

Prone Hip extension

He complained about frequent hamstring issues and from this test it is evident why. He had a lot of trouble extending the leg with out the hamstring bringing him into flexion. This shows a significant hamstring dominance which also was confirmed by the glute firing pattern

Subscap test

The role of this cuff muscle is significant more for its isometric properties in that it prevents the anterior glide of the humeral head. Looking at the video you can see that he immediately goes into extension and the shoulder protrudes forward. This could indicate weakness in this musculature which was confirmed in other test.

T-spine Rotation/Ext









This is a big one. if you lack sufficient rotation in the t-spine you will inevitably rotate at the lumbar spine. If you lack quality extension you will have trouble upwardly rotating when trying to throw anything. This is an area that regardless of testing you should probably stay on top of due to the upper extremity issues that can arise form lack of mobility in this area.

Even though this athlete hasn't had too many serious issues in terms of injuries preventing his play, it is plain sight that if identified much earlier the many minor injuries may have been prevented. Having athletes go through some sort of quality assessment is definitely the right way to go about keeping them healthy. If your best players are healthy there are on the field and in the end when you have your best players playing you are always in the best position to win!