Motivation as a Strategy for Adherence to a Stretching Program for Basketball Players
Condition: Motivation; Sports Physical Therapy; Muscle Tightness
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Background: Basketball is considered a medium-high injury sport, because of the mechanisms of
      injury, which can be acute, by repetition mechanisms or by overload. An effective way to
      avoid muscle overload injuries is to perform an extensibility workout such as an analytical
      active stretching program. The objective of this study is to achieve adherence to a
      stretching program by motivating young basketball players.

      Methods: Randomized experimental clinical trial controlled by a single blind person. 21 child
      players between 11 and 12 years, divided into intervention group (IG) and control group (CG).
      IG carries out a supervised static stretching program at the end of training 3 days/week for
      12 weeks and CG has normally developed the standard stretches of their Basketball Club. The
      extensibility of various muscle groups was valued in both groups. In addition, motivation was
      valued by Sport Motivation Scale.
    

Detailed description: 
      The inclusion criteria were: to be between 12 and 13 years of age (both included), to be an
      active player at the time of selection, to sign the informed consent form and failure to meet
      the exclusion criteria. The exclusion criteria were: to have an injury at the time of
      selection and psychological and/or psychiatric illnesses. The main outcomes were: the
      adherence to a stretching program (monitoring calendars), the extensibility of the posterior
      musculature (fingertip-to-floor test), the adductor extensibility (sideways leg splits test),
      the gastrocnemius and soleus extensibility (weight-bearing lunge test through the Leg Motion
      system), the hamstring extensibility (goniometer with the passive straight leg raise and it
      was considerated shortening if it doesn't reach >80 degrees of elevation, the extensibility
      of the quadriceps (Ely test by a goniometer), the extensibility of the psoas (modified Thomas
      test using a goniometer).
    

Intervention name(s): Stretching program
Intervention type(s): Procedure
Intervention description(s): The stretching programme was to be performed at least 3 days/week (after training) for 12 weeks. These were static, active stretches of the muscles of the lower back, psoas iliacus, quadriceps, adductors, gluteus, hamstrings, and sural triceps. The final stretching position was that which generated a sensation of moderate-intense tightness in the muscles, but without exceeding the pain threshold. For each muscle group, the stretch was held for 60 seconds, divided into 3 repetitions of 20 seconds. Between each repetition, we did not return to the initial position but sought a new barrier to the stretch which would provoke the sensations described above. The total time dedicated to stretching was approximately 15 minutes per session.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Single-blind, randomized, controlled, experimental clinical trial.
Masking: Single (Investigator)
Primary purpose: Prevention