Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Protocol in Female Football Players With Dynamic Knee Valgus

Therapeutic Exercise Protocol for the Prevention of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Football Players With Dynamic Knee Valgus

Introduction: Women's football has experienced exponential growth over the last ten years. Its popularity is associated with an increase in anterior cruciate ligament injuries (ACL). They constitute a major current problem as they account for 43% of the injury burden during the sport season. Despite existing training programmes, no uniform criteria have been established to design a precise intervention protocol, with specific tasks linked to women's football, nor has it been proposed to optimise current programmes.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive and specific training protocol focused on female football players with dynamic knee valgus (DKV) to prevent ACL injuries.

Methodology: Randomised, double-blind, single-centre clinical trial protocol scheduled for the 2023-2024 season of women's football. There will be 2 groups: a group that will follow a specific ACL injury prevention protocol and a control group. The intervention period will last 12 weeks. Measurements will be taken at 3 time points. The biomechanics of the lower extremities, the dynamics of jumping and landing, as well as the pre and post training satisfaction of the players will be evaluated. Image capture and processing systems will be used in addition to tests such as the drop vertical jump test (DVJ), the LESS scoring system, among others.

Future expectations: This protocol aims to be one of the first to implement an ACL injury prevention programme for women football players with DKV. Despite the scarcity of research in this area, studies support beneficial effects at a preventive level.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female football players registered and federated in the corresponding team.
• With an age range between 18 and 35 years old.
• Minimum experience of one year playing football.
• With DKV presence.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects with previous ACL or other ligamentous injury to the knee.
• Subjects with a history of lower extremity injury resulting in surgery during the six months prior to the study.
• Players with chronic illnesses that may affect test results.
• Subjects who played other sports at a professional level.