Effect of Neuromuscular Warm-up on Injuries in Female Athletes

Effect of Neuromuscular Warm-up on Injuries in Female Athletes in Urban Public High Schools: A Cluster-randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of the study is to determine effect of coach-led neuromuscular warm-up on non-contact, lower extremity (LE) injury rates among female athletes in a predominantly non-white public high school system. The investigators hypothesized the warm-up would reduce non-contact LE injuries.

We will recruit basketball and soccer coaches and their athletes from Chicago public high schools. We will randomize teams to intervention and control groups. We will train intervention coaches to implement a 20-minute neuromuscular warm-up and tracked training costs. Control coaches will use their usual warm-up. All coaches will report weekly athlete exposures (AEs) and injuries resulting in a missed practice/game. Research assistants will interview injured athletes. We will compare injury rates between control and intervention groups.

Inclusion Criteria for High School Students (initial part of study - completed)

• plays basketball or soccer for a Chicago public high school team
• coaches basketball or soccer for a Chicago public high school team
• female, age 14-20

Inclusion Criteria for coaches (current part of study):

• Willing to implement a new warm-up before their team's practices and games
• Willing to complete a pre- and post-season survey before and after using the warm-up program for one season (surveys are attached).
• Willing to complete a pre- and post-workshop test before and after the workshop (tests are attached).
• Willing to allow study personnel to observe their implementation of the warm-up at up to three team practices or games.

Exclusion Criteria for coaches (current part of study) There are no separate exclusion criteria for coaches.