The acute effects of one session reactive neuromuscular training on balance and knee joint position sense in female athletes with dynamic knee valgus

Abstract

Background: Dynamic knee valgus (DKV) is defined as a combination of excessive femoral adduction, internal rotation, tibial internal torsion, and the medial movement of the knee. It appears that the athletes with DKV are at higher risk of developing knee injuries. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the reactive neuromuscular training would improve whole-body dynamic balance and knee joint position sense (JPS) in women with the dynamic knee valgus. Methods: A controlled laboratory study was conducted on 28 female athletes with DKV. The single leg squat test was used to assess the DKV. All participants performed the reactive neuromuscular training, stationary cycling and resting sessions on three different days in a random order. The knee JPS and balance in the participants were measured immediately before and after the interventions. Kinematic analysis was used to measure the knee JPS in sagittal and frontal planes. In this regard, captured photos in the sagittal and frontal planes were analyzed using Kinovea software. The Y-balance test was applied to measure the balance. The data were analyzed by the repeated measures analysis of variance with a Bonferroni correction. Results: The results of the repeated measures analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference between the sessions with respect to knee JPS in sagittal (F(2, 54) = 3.323, p = .047) and frontal (F(2, 54) = 23.83, p = .001) planes, respectively. Also, a significant difference in Y-balance test scores was observed between the sessions (F(2, 54) = 9.12, p = .001). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that reactive neuromuscular training improved joint position sense and balance in individuals with DKV. The findings of this study may provide a basis for developing injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies in athletes with DKV.