The Effect of Eight Weeks Reactive Neuromuscular Training on Lower Extremity kinematics during Landing in Female Basketball Players

Recently the reactive neuromuscular training (RNT) has received increasing attention due to its function in decreasing the sport injuries. These exercises help athletes to quickly correct their faulty movement patterns. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of reactive neuromuscular training on landing kinematics in Female Basketball Players. Thirty three players from the three teams of the Tehran Female's Basketball Premier League participated in this study. The teams were randomly divided into three groups: experimental 1 (n=11), experimental 2 (n=11) and control group (n=11). Experimental group 1 performed prevent injury and enhance performance (PEP) exercises for eight weeks and experimental group 2 performed PEP exercises with RNT instead of regular warming up. The control group performed their usual exercises. The kinematics of the trunk and lower extremity joints during landing were evaluated by pre-test and post-test. Three-dimensional lower-extremity kinematics was measured during drop jump with a single leg landing. Data were analyzed by 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance. The results showed that eight weeks of reactive neuromuscular training had a significant effect on hip flexion angle at landing (F(2,27)=3.40, P=0.04, ηp2=0.20). But there was no significant effect on knee valgus, knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion, and trunk flexion at the moment of landing following RNT training. The presented results indicated that the injury prevention program using reactive neuromuscular exercises could well modify the athletes' movement patterns toward a lower risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury.