Effectiveness of Warm-Up Routine on the Ankle Injuries Prevention in Young Female Basketball Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Ankle joint is the most common site of injury for basketball athletes. An effective warm-up (WU) is a period of preparatory exercise to improve training performance and reduce sports injuries. Continuous examination of effective WU routines in basketball players is a necessity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of general and combined warm up on ankle injury range of motion (ROM) and balance in young female basketball players. Materials and Methods: A sample of 28 young female basketball players were randomly allocated to either global warm up control group (GWU) (n = 11) or combined warm up experimental group (CWU) (n = 17). All participants performed 7-min of run. The CWU group performed a single leg stance barefoot with eyes closed, plank forearm position and triceps sural stretching. Participants in GWU performed walking ball handling and core stability using a Swiss ball. Both WU routines were conducted 3 times per week for 10 weeks. Outcome measurements were the Stabilometric platform and dorsiflexion lunge test. Results: Twenty-eight young female basketball players completed the study. Participants in the experimental group improved significantly in the range of motion (ROM) in right and left ankle and the center of pressure displacement (CoP). The control group did not show any changes in ankle dorsiflexion and a significant reduction in all body balance parameters. Conclusions: An 8-min combined warm-up routine for 10 weeks improves the ankle dorsiflexion ROM and CoP displacement that plays a key role in ankle injuries prevention in basketball players. Further studies are strongly needed to verify our findings.

Efeito do alongamento estático pré-exercício pliométrico sobre marcadores indiretos de danos musculares

“…Both methods of indirect assessment ([CK] and DOMS) of the appearance of muscle damage are widely used, confirming their applicability in assessing the response to damage caused by eccentric exercise [28,29]. In the present study, the responses of [CK] and DOMS suggest that the protocol was similarly effective in inducing muscle damage in the two compared sessions.…”

Acute Tennis Injuries in the Recreational Tennis Player

“…Looking at the mean age of patients in this study who sustained an ankle sprain (36 ± 16 years), one can assume that younger players are either more prone to sustain an ankle injury or rather play, compete, and run faster, which may facilitate an inversion ankle sprain. Regular preplay warm-up and stretching, as well as proprioceptive, neuromuscular, and exercise training, have been shown to reduce the risk of ankle sprains 3,14,16,26,31,35 and could be especially advised to the younger recreational players. However, the effectiveness of injury prevention programs in tennis remains questionable because it was recently shown that adult recreational tennis players did not reduce their ankle injury rate after an unsupervised tennis-specific exercise program.…”

Raising the Young Athlete: Training and Injury Prevention Strategies

“…In a randomized control trial, Padua et al found that NMT warm-up programs, which include aerobic, agility, balance, and strength exercises, lowered the risk of enduring an ankle sprain injury by 32% in adolescent female basketball players. 75 Additionally, plyometrics and exercises that drill rapid changes in direction mitigate losses in agility and endurance incurred during mandatory breaks in sports. 76 Furthermore, the efficacy of warm-up NMT programs when supervised only by coaches who received training on implementing these programs compared to physiotherapists produced similar results in a cluster-randomized trial on youth female soccer players.…”