The effects of different rehabilitation training modalities on isokinetic muscle function and male athletes’ psychological status after anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions

Abstract

Background Previously, researchers reported performance enhancements following long-term plyometric training in athletes with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (LCA). However, the effects of combined eccentric and plyometric training on measures of isokinetic strength and psychological statues in male athletes have not been examined yet. Knowledge on the effects of combined eccentric and plyometric training help to better plan and program rehabilitations sessions and thus return-to-sports. Objective This study sought to compare the effects of three different rehabilitation training programs, eccentric training (ECC), plyometric training (PLYO), or combined eccentric and plyometric training (COMB), on psychological measures (kinesiophobia [TSK-CF], functional knee assessment, knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score [KOOS], international knee documentation committee 2000 questionnaire [IKDC], and knee flexor and extensor isokinetic muscle performance (peak torque [PT], total work, ratio [R-HQ], and ratio of total work [R-TW]) at different angular velocities post ACL surgery in male elite athletes. Methods Forty elite male athletes from different sports (e.g., athletics, team sports) with ACL reconstruction participated in this study. The study started after a 14-weeks post-surgery rehabilitation program, which was identical for all subjects. After this initial rehabilitation period, athletes were randomly assigned to three experimental groups, ECC (n = 10), PLYO (n = 10), and COMB (n = 10), and a control group (CON: n = 10). Testing was conducted pre- and post-the 6-weeks intervention period and included the TSK-CF, KOOS, and IKDC. Peak torque of the knee extensors/flexors was tested at 90, 180, 240 °/s, after the 6-weeks training program only. Results Participants’ adherence rate was 100% across all groups and none reported any training or test-related injury. No significant between-group baseline differences (pre-6-weeks intervention) were observed for any of the reported psychological and muscle strength parameters. Significant group-by-time interactions were found for TSK-CF (p = 0.001, d = 2.85), KOOS (p = 0.001, d = 1.31), and IKDC (p = 0.001, d = 1.07). The post-hoc analyses indicated that COMB showed larger pre-post improvements for all psychological variables (p < 0.001, d = 2.95 to 13.15), compared with PLYO, ECC, and CON. Contrast analyses demonstrated that COMB yielded significantly greater improvements compared with CON, PLYO, ECC for all isokinetic parameters at all three angular velocities (all p < 0.001, d = 0.99 to 4.61). Conclusion The results showed that COMB induced greater gains for measures of psychological status and isokinetic muscle strength compared with single-mode PLYO and ECC in elite male athletes during a post-surgery ACL rehabilitation period. Accordingly, it is recommended to implement COMB as an effective rehabilitation means to improve knee function in male elite athletes. Trial registration This study does not report results related to health care interventions using human participants and therefore it was not prospectively registered.

Plyometric training for physical education university students

“…Figure 1 corresponds to item one when asked about which sport you practice frequently, achieving that the sport of soccer has a wide advantage over the other sports, thus the preferences to more than one sport are Fu=football 30% (362), At=athletics 9. 5 % (115), Ci=cycling 5.7% (69), Vo=volleyball 18.2% (220), Bc=basketball 7.4% (89), Bm=handball 4.0% (48), Am=martial arts 3.5% (42) and Ot=other sports 21.8% (263). It is clearly shown that the most preferred sport is soccer followed by volleyball.…”

“…Finally, it is important to note that the duration of the plyometric training program can influence the results [41]. These can be particularly beneficial for elite athletes recovering from some surgery for sports injuries by combining different training approaches [42]. These findings provide valuable information for coaches and athletes seeking to improve their performance in all types of sports [45].…”

“…A similar case is that of taekwondo athletes [39] who use it to develop great kicking strength [40]. It should be noted that several investigations show improvements in physical performance due to plyometric training but a more exhaustive analysis of its impact on technical skills in sports is needed [41], its impact on the psychological well-being of athletes has yet to be explored [42] and there is little information on the ideal rest time in order to improve physical condition [43]. Other studied aspects are the influence of age and gender on the motor adaptation of children and young people to this type of training [44], the effects on the aerobic capacity of the athlete [45] and how the surface influences the outcome of the training program [46].…”