Motivation as a Strategy for Adherence to a Stretching Program for Basketball Players

Motivation as a Strategy for Adherence to a Stretching Program for Basketball Players: a Pilot Study.

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.

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).

Inclusion Criteria:

• To be an active player at the time of selection, to sign the informed consent form, failure to meet the exclusion criteria.

Exclusion Criteria:

• To have an injury at the time of selection, psychological and/or psychiatric illnesses.