“EFFECTIVENESS OF BALLISTIC EXERCISES AND STRENGTHENING EXERCISES TO REDUCE KNEE PAIN AND INCREASE LOWER LIMB STRENGTH IN YOUNG BADMINTON PLAYERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL”

Abstract

Background: Badminton is one of the most active recreational sports played worldwide. The quick and repetitive movements while playing leads to strenuous impact loading on the lower extremities. This further leads to knee pain, reduction in muscle strength. Objective:To nd out the effectiveness of ballistic exercises and strengthening exercises to reduce knee pain and increase lower limb strength. Methods: In a 6-weeks intervention study, 30 participants with knee pain were studied. The participants were divided into 3 groups Group A (Ballistic Exercises), Group B (Strengthening Exercises), and Group C (Control Group) by lottery allotment method. A proper warm-up and cooldown regime was also given to the participants. Pre and post-treatment data were collected and analyzed using SPSS 22.0. Paired t-test and a oneway ANOVA test were used to nd out the signicance of the treatment. Results: A signicant improvement in pain and muscle strength was found in Group A and B (p<0.05). Greater statistically signicant improvement was seen in Group A as compared to B and C. Conclusion: The study concluded that Ballistic Exercises are more effective as compared to Strengthening Exercises in order to reduce knee pain and increase lower limb strength in young badminton players.