| EFFECT OF EIGHT WEEKS OF AN ACL INJURY PREVENTION TRAINING PROTOCOL ON FUNCTIONAL INDICES OF PROFESSIONAL MALE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS |
| Paper ID : 1445-SPORTCONGRESS (R1) |
| Authors |
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Morteza Barzegar Bafrouei *1, Fariborz Hovanloo2, Amirhossein Barati3 1PhD Candidate, in Sport Injury and Corrective Exercises, Department of Health and Sports Rehabilitation, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. 2Associate Professor, Ph.D. in Sport Injury and Corrective Exercises, Department of Health and Sports Rehabilitation, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. 3Associate Professor, Specialist in Sports Medicine, Department of Health and Sports Rehabilitation, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury can lead to long-term disability and persistent functional limitations. Therefore, preventive measures to reduce the risk of such injuries are of great importance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an ACL injury prevention training protocol on functional indices in professional male volleyball players. Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 30 male volleyball players (aged 16–20 years; mean age 19.64 ± 2.09 years, height 188.7 ± 3.24 cm, weight 76.67 ± 4.52 kg, and BMI 21.92 ± 3.07 kg/m²) from the Shahre Aftab Volleyball Club in Meybod City. Participants were purposefully selected and randomly assigned into two groups: intervention (n = 15) and control (n = 15). The intervention group performed the Prevent injury and Enhance Performance (PEP) program for eight weeks, three sessions per week, while the control group continued regular training. Functional indices including agility, muscle power, dynamic balance, and functional movement patterns were evaluated before and after the intervention. Levene’s test was used to assess homogeneity of variances, and ANCOVA was applied for between-group comparisons. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26 at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: ANCOVA results showed significant improvements in the intervention group compared to the control group in right-leg (p = 0.003) and left-leg (p = 0.002) Y-Balance tests, as well as the Sargent jump test (p = 0.041) after eight weeks of PEP training. However, there were no significant differences between the groups in agility (p = 0.12) and Functional Movement Screening (FMS) test scores (p = 0.812). Conclusion: Eight weeks of the PEP injury prevention program significantly improved dynamic balance and muscular power in professional male volleyball players but had no significant effects on agility or functional movement screening scores. |
| Keywords |
| Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), Agility, Power, Balance, Functional Movement Screening (FMS) |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
