Abstract
Sensorimotor, proprioceptive, and neuromuscular programs are critical for the successful rehabilitation of injured athletes, and these decrease reinjury rates. To investigate the effects of an unexpected disturbance program (UDP) on balance and unilateral strength metrics in athletes with unilateral knee ligament injury. A 3-week parallel-group experimental design consisting of 9 rehabilitation sessions. National Sports Institute. Twenty-one national-level athletes (age 21.4 [4.4]y, body mass 63.9 [10.8]kg, height 169.0 [10.2]cm) who had sustained a unilateral knee ligament injury. An UDP program designed to evoke rapid sensorimotor responses was compared with traditional training and a nonexercise control group. Unilateral total, anteroposterior, and mediolateral sway with eyes open and closed and unilateral isometric strength. Traditional exercises tended to outperform the UDP when unilateral balance testing was performed with eyes open; however, balance improvement following UDP tended to be greater in the eyes-closed condition. Significant strength gains in both the injured and uninjured legs were only observed following the UDP. This increase in unilateral isometric strength was 23.4 and 35.1 kg greater than the strength improvements seen in the traditional rehabilitation and control groups (P < .05). UDP could improve neural aspects of rehabilitation to improve rehabilitation outcomes by improving strength, sensorimotor function, and proprioception. Given the complementary adaptations, an UDP could provide an effective adjunct to traditional rehabilitation protocols and improve return-to-play outcomes.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.