Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Protocol in Female Football Players With Dynamic Knee Valgus

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
• Interventions: Other: Placebo - Conventional fitness programme; Other: Application of an anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention protocol for female football players with dynamic knee valgus for 12 weeks.

• Registration Number: NCT06083818
• Lead Sponsor: Amanda Coves García

Brief Summary

Introduction: Women's football has experienced exponential growth over the last ten years. Its popularity is associated with an increase in anterior cruciate ligament injuries (ACL). They constitute a major current problem as they account for 43% of the injury burden during the sport season. Despite existing training programmes, no uniform criteria have been established to design a precise intervention protocol, with specific tasks linked to women's football, nor has it been proposed to optimise current programmes.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive and specific training protocol focused on female football players with dynamic knee valgus (DKV) to prevent ACL injuries.

Methodology: Randomised, double-blind, single-centre clinical trial protocol scheduled for the 2023-2024 season of women's football. There will be 2 groups: a group that will follow a specific ACL injury prevention protocol and a control group. The intervention period will last 12 weeks. Measurements will be taken at 3 time points. The biomechanics of the lower extremities, the dynamics of jumping and landing, as well as the pre and post training satisfaction of the players will be evaluated. Image capture and processing systems will be used in addition to tests such as the drop vertical jump test (DVJ), the LESS scoring system, among others.

Future expectations: This protocol aims to be one of the first to implement an ACL injury prevention programme for women football players with DKV. Despite the scarcity of research in this area, studies support beneficial effects at a preventive level.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2023-07-25
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-10-10
• Study First Posted: 2023-10-16
• Status Verified: 2023-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-11-27
• Last Update Posted: 2023-11-29
• Study Start: 2024-10
• Primary Completion: 2025-04
• Study Completion: 2025-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 48

Inclusion Criteria

• Female football players registered and federated in the corresponding team.
• With an age range between 18 and 35 years old.
• Minimum experience of one year playing football.
• With DKV presence.

Exclusion Criteria

• Subjects with previous ACL or other ligamentous injury to the knee.
• Subjects with a history of lower extremity injury resulting in surgery during the six months prior to the study.
• Players with chronic illnesses that may affect test results.
• Subjects who played other sports at a professional level.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Placebo	Placebo - Conventional fitness programme	Participants in this group will undergo a conventional physical preparation programme.
ACL injury prevention protocol	Application of an anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention protocol for female football players with dynamic knee valgus for 12 weeks.	Participants in this group will undergo a specific 12-week prevention protocol.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
MOTOR CONTROL	12 weeks	Changes in motor control not only of the lower limbs, but also of the lumbo-pelvic complex using software and imaging systems that measure joint alignments.
KNEE JOINT BIOMECHANICS	12 weeks	Changes in neuromuscular control of the knee using imaging and force plate assessments to monitor lower limb alignment and areas of increased reaction force.
CHANGING RISK FACTORS	12 weeks	modification of risk factors such as dynamic knee valgus
SPORT PERFORMANCE	12 weeks	Tactical and technical changes are expected on the pitch as well as improvements in the sporting performance of the players through dynamic evaluations with imaging and video systems as well as speed and agility tests by monitoring joint stability.
SPORTSWOMEN SATISFACTION	12 weeks	Changes in the incidence of injuries among female football players using the SF-12 satisfaction scale.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Miguel Hernandez University; 🇪🇸 San Juan De Alicante, Alicante, Spain