None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Basketball is a highly competitive sport in which the knee joint is constantly subject to physical stress. Due to the nature of this sport field, a high percentage of injuries were reported to have occurred in the lower limb and ankle. Numerous risk factors for traumatic and overuse lower extremity injury in basketball players have been identified through prospective studies, including: previous injury, biomechanical alignment and anatomical factors, tape or brace use shortened reflex response time, decreased vertical jump height, being female, decreased muscle flexibility, and poor balance. It has been reported that neuromuscular control may be the most modifiable risk factor in the prevention of knee injuries. In fact, it can improve dynamic lower extremity alignment upon landing from a jump, shock attenuation of peak landing forces, muscle recruitment patterns, and postural stability or balance. Various researchers have reported the effectiveness of neuromuscular training programs to decrease risk of lower extremity injuries in athletes. Neuromuscular training protocol in current literature makes use of external tools like Swiss balls, med balls and unstable bases, which are not always available to athletes and strength and conditioning coaches. Therefore, aim of this study was to investigate if a 32-week of bodyweight neuromuscular warm-up focused core stability, plyometric and body weight strengthening could reduce lower limbs injuries.
Interventions
The bodyweight neuromuscular warm-up protocol will be developed from theory and findings from previous injury prevention research. None of the subjects have had prior exposure to neuromuscular or specific dynamic balance training, which may have interfered with the validity of the testing protocol.
Sessions will take place 4 times a week, during the basketball regular season (32 weeks), before every training session during the warm-up immediately before regular basketball training.
Each 30-m
The bodyweight neuromuscular warm-up protocol will be developed from theory and findings from previous injury prevention research. None of the subjects have had prior exposure to neuromuscular or specific dynamic balance training, which may have interfered with the validity of the testing protocol. Sessions will take place 4 times a week, during the basketball regular season (32 weeks), before every training session during the warm-up immediately before regular basketball training. Each 30-minute session will comprise circuit training consisting of bodyweight neuromuscular exercises divided in: 1. General activation with the ball (e.g. jog line to line, shuttle run, lateral and backward running); 2. Mobility exercises (e.g. leg swing front-to-back side to side, lateral squats, lunge superior reach, walking quad stretch, monster walk, inverted hamstring stretch, lateral crossover step); 3. Strength exercises (e.g. multidirectional lunges, nordic hamstrings, single toe raises, lateral bridge); 4. Plyometric exercises (e.g. vertical jumps, lateral hops, single legger hops, forward hops); 5. agility exercises with the ball (fore way close-out, line drills and sprint, zigzag cones, four cones, pass-sprint and layup). The exercises will be progressed through three different phases using periodization methods. Initially, low volume high-intensity exercises will be performed until the technique will be mastered. The volume will be then increase when the exercise will be executed correctly according to the coach’s judgment. Each athlete self regulated the intensity of exercises to be at RPE CR10 to be between 3 and 5 (moderate - strong). The exercises will progress from a stable to an unstable position to increase demands on lower extremity strength (e.g. split squat, Bulgarian split squat, Bulgarian split squat and jump). A certified strength and conditioning coach will conduct the sessions and will give verbal and visual feedback on exercise technique.
Sponsors
Universita degli Studi di Milano
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Prevention
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Aged 18-35 years old, playing at the national level, and practice 4 times a week for more than 2 hours.
Exclusion criteria
History of lower extremity injury or surgery in the 6 months prior to testing..
Outcome results
None listed