Physical Therapy in Sport
Volume 7, Issue 2 , Pages 65-73, May 2006

Biomechanical outcomes of a knee neuromuscular exercise programme among adolescent basketball players: A pilot study

  • Quinette Louw

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physiotherapy, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 19063, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +27219389300; fax: +27219311252.
    • ,
  • Karen Grimmer

      Affiliations

    • Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Australia
    • ,
  • Christopher L. Vaughan

      Affiliations

    • Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Received 7 April 2005; received in revised form 6 March 2006; accepted 14 March 2006.

Abstract 

Objective

The objective was to test if a neuromuscular exercise programme would improve jump-shot landing technique of male adolescent basketball players.

Design

A non-equivalent pre-test–post-test control group experimental design was used.

Setting

Intervention (a 6-week neuromuscular exercise programme) took place at club practise venues and motion analysis at a biomechanics laboratory.

Participants

Five case and five matched control subjects participated.

Main outcome measures

Six high-speed (120Hz), Oxford Metrics Vicon 370 cameras (Oxford Metrics, Oxford, UK) and a strain gauge AMTI force plate (AMTI Inc., Newton, MA, USA) synchronised were used to analyse three-dimensional (3-D) knee kinetics and kinematics of a jump-shot landing. Vertical ground reaction force, knee joint angles and negative work were calculated.

Results

Repeated ANOVA tests were used to compare the peak vertical ground reaction force, knee flexion, and total negative work prior to and following the exercise intervention. There was an overall significant difference for time of testing (pre-and-post intervention) and group allocation (case or control) for peak ground reaction force, knee flexion and negative working when landing from a jump-shot.

Conclusion

The improvements noted in the performance of case subjects suggest that neuromuscular exercises could aid in the reduction of injury rate or severity of knee injuries sustained during game play.

Keywords: Adolescent knee injury prevention, Neuromuscular exercise, Sports, Basketball, Motion analysis

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PII: S1466-853X(06)00018-6

doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2006.03.004

Physical Therapy in Sport
Volume 7, Issue 2 , Pages 65-73, May 2006

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