G. Becerra1, F. Ciurlizza1, S. Bravo1,2,3
1Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Terapia Fisica, Lima, Peru, 2Universidad Continental, Junin, Huancayo, Peru, 3Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Lima, Lima, Peru
Background: Hamstring muscle injuries in soccer are highly prevalent, being considered the most injured muscle in soccer, stretching is the most common cause , the consequences of these injuries translate into lost days due to injuries, higher costs in the provision of health and rehabilitation wages. The flexibility of the hamstring muscles and their relationships with injuries are currently the center of attention on their causes. Flexibility allows an adequate relationship to maintain their structures and prepare them for their role in sport, for which a variety of programs have been proposed that address the flexibility of the hamstrings.
Purpose: To determine the short-term effects of neurodynamic sliding techniques on the flexibility of the hamstring muscles in healthy and asymptomatic of a university soccer team.
Methods: We conducted a double-blind (patients and evaluators) randomized clinical trial. The participants (16) were soccer team students from a private university in Lima and were randomized into two groups: experimental (EG) and for control (CG). The intervention variable for the EG was the Neural Slip Technique for the lower limbs (NST) and, as the placebo, the GC received Sham Therapy ,the outcome was the flexibility of the hamstring muscles (FHM) measured by meansof the Straight Leg Raise Test; before, at the end and after 15 minutes of the intervention. We estimated mean difference between groups and within groups in order to find significant differences, the final effect was estimated at 15 minutes compared to baseline and the effect size was considered by estimating Cohen's d.
Results: We included 16 subjects and 32 lower limbs: No significant differences were found in the baseline between the CG and EG according to age, race group, current semester, time of sport practice, practice hours per week, playing position, dominance or FHM. When analyzing the effect on the FHM in both limbs, it was found at the final result level that the EG increased flexibility by an average of 18.19º (10.17) compared to the CG 1.75º (8.03) the difference reached 16.42º 95% CI (9.82 - 20.05º) p <0.001. The result of the effect size using the Cohen d test is 1.79 95% CI (0.96 - 2.61). The number needed to treat (NNT) was 1.6 with a 95% CI of 1.12 to 2.82 to obtain an improvement of ≥10 °.
Conclusion(s): Neurodynamic sliding technique is effective in the short-term flexibility of the hamstrings.
Implications: The neural sliding technique can be used for stretching the hamstrings of athletes who meet the selection criteria of the present study when the objective of the intervention is in the short term, even when the athlete does not have a severe or moderate limitation.
Funding, acknowledgements: The project was financed by the Universidad peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas through the 2020 research incentives contest - Lima Peru
Keywords: Soccer, Range of motion, Neurodynamic
Topic: Sport & sports injuries
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas
Committee: Comité de Ética de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud
Ethics number: CEI/20-04-19: PI018-19
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
