Clinical trial NCT03862560: Evaluation of Physical Performance and Functional Asymmetries in Female Football
Official title: Evaluación Del Rendimiento físico y asimetrías Funcionales en el fútbol Femenino
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Resistance Training
Inter-limb Asymmetries
Athletic Performance
Keywords: Soccer
Female
Lower limb asymmetries
Strength
Lead sponsor: Universidad de Zaragoza
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2019-03-05
Enrollment: 68
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 12
Maximum age (years): 20
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Worldwide, soccer has grown increasingly popular among female players. According to the Women´s Football Survey of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), there were more than 30 million registered women soccer players in 2014. Elite female soccer players cover approximately a total distance of 10 km with 1.7 km completed at high-speed (\>18 km/h-1), between 1350 and 1650 changes of activity like passing, dribbling, tackling and trapping and 5.1 and 31.2 repeated sprinting and high intensity bouts, respectively. Thus, it seems that those strategies addressed to improve such high-intensity activities should be considered a priority for female soccer players.

Different training methods to improve soccer specific variables have been developed such as, high-intensity interval training, resisted sprint training, strength training or plyometric training. Whilst individual training interventions have been shown to produce enhancements in measures of athletic performance for soccer players, there is a paucity of studies looking at the effectiveness of strength and power training specifically on performance measures in female soccer populations.

Unilateral strength asymmetry can be a risk factor of musculoskeletal injuries. In recent years, inter-limb asymmetries have been included in battery tests performed by different soccer clubs due to their relation with lower-limb injuries. Few studies have analysed the change of an intervention on inter-limb asymmetry in female soccer players, hence, more studies for this population are warranted.

The main aim of this research project is therefore, to evaluate the effect of a physical intervention on the performance and inter-limb asymmetries of female soccer players.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Caucasian, Healthy participant, from 12 to 20 years old, with a history of training at least 3 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Non-caucasian, injury.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Jumping in centimeters
timeFrame: Change from baseline in jumping height at 12 weeks
measure: Velocity in seconds
timeFrame: Change from baseline in velocity at 12 weeks
measure: Change of direction in seconds
timeFrame: Change from Baseline in change of direction at 12 weeks
measure: Inter-limb asymmetry in %
timeFrame: Change from Baseline in inter-limb asymmetry at 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Zaragoza
country: Spain
facility: GENUD Research group (Growth, Exercise, NUtrition and Development)
Study officials:
References:
citation: Hoff J, Helgerud J. Endurance and strength training for soccer players: physiological considerations. Sports Med. 2004;34(3):165-80. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200434030-00003.
citation: Olsen OE, Myklebust G, Engebretsen L, Holme I, Bahr R. Exercises to prevent lower limb injuries in youth sports: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2005 Feb 26;330(7489):449. doi: 10.1136/bmj.38330.632801.8F. Epub 2005 Feb 7.
citation: Brumitt J, Heiderscheit BC, Manske RC, Niemuth PE, Rauh MJ. Lower extremity functional tests and risk of injury in division iii collegiate athletes. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013 Jun;8(3):216-27.
citation: Kiani A, Hellquist E, Ahlqvist K, Gedeborg R, Michaelsson K, Byberg L. Prevention of soccer-related knee injuries in teenaged girls. Arch Intern Med. 2010 Jan 11;170(1):43-9. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.289.