ORIGINAL ARTICLE  SPORT INJURIES AND REHABILITATION 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2020 January;60(1):92-101

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.19.09949-3

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Acute effects of preventive warm-up exercises on modifiable risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injuries: a three-arm randomized-controlled crossover trial

Daniel NIEDERER ¹ ✉, Christina WILLBERG ^{1, 2}, Adele KRUSE ¹, Nicola EXLER ¹, Florian GIESCHE ³, Lutz VOGT ¹, Winfried BANZER ³

¹ Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; ² Department of Movement and Training Science, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; ³ Department of Preventive and Sports Medicine, Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

BACKGROUND: We aimed to compare the potential acute effects of single bouts of a classic prevention and a risk factor-focus training aiming to target modifiable anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture risk factors and the impact of neuromuscular fatigue on relevant ACL rupture risk factors.
METHODS: Two preventive warm-up (standard and ACL rupture risk factor training) and one inactive arm were compared; each of these were followed by a standardized neuromuscular fatigue protocol. The assessments included two Trail making tests (TMT-A; TMT-B, time to complete), drop jump landings (knee separation distance, normalized at hip width), as well as unanticipated counter movement jump landings (time to stabilization and peak ground reaction force).
RESULTS: We included 18 participants (25±2years). No differences were found between times and conditions for TMT (P>0.05). A significant time effect occurred in time to stabilization (F=2.6; P<0.05) and a significant time*baseline-value*jumping time interaction was seen in peak ground reaction force (F=3.1; P<0.05). No time effect was found for any knee separation distance (F=.1-2.4; P>0.05); but a significant time*baseline-value*jumping time interaction was seen at initial ground contact (F=2.8; P<0.05), and lowest point (F=4.2; P<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: Risk factor-focus and classic warm-up may not differ in their acute effects on modifiable functional ACL (re-)injury risks factors.

KEY WORDS: Injuries; Return to sport; Anterior cruciate ligament