Clinical trial NCT04674072: The Effect of the Reverse Nordic Curl Exercise on Quadriceps Femoris Muscles Injury Rate Among Soccer Players
Official title: The Effect of the Reverse Nordic Curl Exercise on Quadriceps Femoris Muscles Injuries Rate Among Soccer Players: Cluster Randomized Controlled
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Quadriceps Tendon Rupture
Quadriceps Strained Tendon
Quadriceps Muscle Atrophy
Keywords: Injury Prevention Program
Reverse Nordic curl exercise
Lead sponsor: Umm Al-Qura University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2020-12-19
Enrollment: 400
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 40
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: The intervention group will be instructed to include the reverse Nordic curl exercise into their warm up 15 to 20 mins before training session (3 times per week) during one season (6 months).
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The reverse Nordic curl is a body-weight exercise which mainly works the quadriceps and hip flexors. It has a large eccentric component, meaning the muscles are working whilst lengthening.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the reverse Nordic curl exercise on Quadriceps femoris muscles injuries among soccer players.

It hypothesized that reverse Nordic curl exercise has a beneficial effect in terms of Quadriceps femoris muscles injury prevention.

Detailed description: Description of intervention(s) / exposure The intervention group will be instructed to include the reverse Nordic curl exercise into their warm up 15 to 20 mins before training session (3 times per week) during one season (6 months).

Group sessions will be administered by an exercise physiologist and/ or athletic trainer and/ or soccer coaches and/ or strength and conditioning specialists and/ or physiotherapist.

Session attendance checklists will be used to assess or monitor adherence to the intervention.

The reverse Nordic curl is a body-weight exercise which mainly works the quadriceps and hip flexors. It has a large eccentric component, meaning the muscles are working whilst lengthening.

This is a very simple movement to do, but maintaining strict positioning is vital to get the full benefits. Here's how to do it:

Grab a mat on a soft floor. Kneel down, and sit on top of the feet. If trying this exercise for the first time, place the knees and feet close together, approximately hip-width apart. For more advanced, the feet and knees slightly wider, just outside the hips, to be able to lay back farther without hitting the legs.

Sit up in a tall kneeling position, push the hips forward, and lock the rib cage down. Looking to create a straight line down the front of the body, especially at the hips. This is to create a stretch at the hip flexor muscles.

Lower the shoulders towards the floor by bending at the knee, maintaining the "plank" position previously created. If hip extension is maintained, and the core adequately braced, there should be no strain on the low back, and an intense stretch felt down the front of the legs.

Continue to lean back as far as it is possible to control, then squeeze the quads to return to the starting position (this may not be very far to begin with). It is crucial to NOT let the hips drop backwards at any point during the movement. If they do, the stretch on the hip flexors will be released, defeating the point of the exercise.

Once reaching the floor and back is possible for multiple sets of 10+ repetitions, can begin loading the movement by holding a light plate, kettlebell or dumbbell.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Soccer teams
* Amateur.
* Male .
* Training at least three times per week.

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of lower extremity injury requiring medical attention in the past 6 months, or systemic diseases, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders or bone fractures or surgery in the previous year.

Players who joined a participating team after the start of the trial will be excluded.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Incidence of initial injuries
timeFrame: At the end of the intervention season (6 months).
measure: The incidence of recurrent injuries
timeFrame: At the end of the intervention season (6 months)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Injury severity
timeFrame: At the end of the intervention season (6 months)
measure: Compliance with the intervention
timeFrame: At the end of the intervention season (6 months)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Mecca
country: Saudi Arabia
facility: Umm Al Qura University
Study officials:
References:
citation: Alonso-Fernandez D, Docampo-Blanco P, Martinez-Fernandez J. Changes in muscle architecture of biceps femoris induced by eccentric strength training with nordic hamstring exercise. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2018 Jan;28(1):88-94. doi: 10.1111/sms.12877. Epub 2017 Apr 10.
citation: Al Attar WSA, Soomro N, Sinclair PJ, Pappas E, Sanders RH. Effect of Injury Prevention Programs that Include the Nordic Hamstring Exercise on Hamstring Injury Rates in Soccer Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2017 May;47(5):907-916. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0638-2.