Adherence to an Injury Prevention Warm-Up Program in Children’s Soccer—A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Matias Hilska, Mari Leppänen, Tommi Vasankari, Sari Aaltonen, Jani Raitanen, Anu M. Räisänen, Kathrin Steffen, Hannele Forsman, Niilo Konttinen, Urho M. Kujala and Kati Pasanen
Additional contact information
Matias Hilska: Tampere Research Center of Sports Medicine, UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, 33500 Tampere, Finland
Mari Leppänen: Tampere Research Center of Sports Medicine, UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, 33500 Tampere, Finland
Tommi Vasankari: UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, 33500 Tampere, Finland
Sari Aaltonen: Institute for Molecular Medicine (FIMM), University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
Jani Raitanen: UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, 33500 Tampere, Finland
Anu M. Räisänen: Department of Physical Therapy Education—Oregon, College of Health Sciences—Northwest, Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, OR 97355, USA
Kathrin Steffen: Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, 0806 Oslo, Norway
Hannele Forsman: Eerikkilä Sports Institute Training Center, Eerikkilä, 31370 Tammela, Finland
Niilo Konttinen: Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
Urho M. Kujala: Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
Kati Pasanen: Tampere Research Center of Sports Medicine, UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, 33500 Tampere, Finland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: This study examined the impact of high adherence to a neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up on the risk of lower extremity (LE) injuries in children’s soccer. Twenty U11–U14 youth clubs ( n = 92 teams, 1409 players) were randomized into intervention ( n = 44 teams) and control ( n = 48 teams) groups. The intervention group was advised to perform an NMT warm-up 2 to 3 times a week for 20 weeks. Team adherence, injuries, and exposure were registered throughout the follow-up. Primary outcomes were the incidence of soccer-related acute LE injuries and the prevalence of overuse LE injuries. Intervention teams conducted mean 1.7 (SD 1.0) NMT warm-ups weekly through follow-up. The seasonal trend for adherence declined significantly by −1.9% (95% CI −0.8% to −3.1%) a week. There was no difference in the incidence of acute injuries nor the prevalence of overuse LE injuries in high team adherence group ( n = 17 teams) compared to controls. However, the risk for acute noncontact LE injuries was 31% lower in the high team adherence group compared to controls (IRR 0.69, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.97). In an efficacy analysis ( n = 7 teams), there was a significant reduction of 47% in the rate of noncontact LE injuries (IRR 0.53, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.97). In conclusion, teams conducted NMT warm-up sessions regularly, but with a declining trend. A greater protective effect was seen in teams with the highest adherence to the NMT warm-up.

Keywords: adherence; adolescent; children; football; implementation; injury prevention; neuromuscular training; soccer; youth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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