Implementing a School Prevention Program to Reduce Injuries Through Neuromuscular Training

NCT03312504 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: REB14-0470
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,067
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a neuromuscular training program in decreasing sport and recreational injuries and improving healthy outcomes in junior high school students (grades 7 to 9). The neuromuscular training program is implemented as a 15-minute warm-up at the beginning of the students' physical education classes over a three-month period. This study is a randomized controlled trial design, involving twelve schools over a three-year period. Upon enrolment into the study, schools are randomly assigned to the intervention (neuromuscular training) group, or the control group. The control group includes a standard-of practice warm-up consisting of aerobic components and static stretching. A study athletic therapist visits the schools each week to assess and record information on any injuries sustained by study participants. Baseline health and physical fitness is measured at baseline, and again at 3-month follow-up in study participants to assess changes over the course of the program.

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries; Adolescent; Athletic Injuries; Sport Injury; Sports Injuries in Children

Keywords

sport injury; injury prevention; fitness; neuromuscular training; implementation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Sport or recreational injury

  Any injury sustained through a sport or recreational activity that resulted in time loss from physical activity participation (unable to return to the same session or missed at least one day of participation), or required medical attention.

  Injuries are recorded if sustained at any point over the course of the study (each school participates for 3 months).

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Changes in body mass index (BMI)

  Changes over a 3-month period.

• Changes in waist circumference

  Changes over a 3-month period.

• Changes in vertical jump height

  Changes over a 3-month period

• Changes in VO2max

  Changes over a 3-month period

• Changes in timed unipedal eyes-closed dynamic balance

  Changes over a 3-month period

Study Arms (2)

Neuromuscular Training Warm-up

EXPERIMENTAL

Schools randomized to the intervention arm receive a workshop outlining a neuromuscular training program to be used as a warm-up for 15 minutes at the beginning of each physical education class. The warm-up consist of high-intensity aerobic, strengthening, agility, plyometric, and balance components. The workshop is designed to last two hours, and includes a video outlining the warm-up components, practice time, and group discussions for action planning to address potential barriers to the program.

Other: Neuromuscular training program

Control Standard-of-practice Warm-up

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Schools randomized to the control arm receive a workshop outlining a standard-of-practice program to be used as a warm-up for 15 minutes at the beginning of each physical education class. The warm-up consists of aerobic exercises and static stretching. The workshop is designed to last one hour, and includes an explanation and demonstration of the exercises, but no video or practice time.

Other: Standard-of-practice Warm-up (Control)

Interventions

Neuromuscular training program OTHER

This is a 15-minute warm-up program designed to be implemented at the beginning of junior high school physical education classes. This warm-up is comprised of 15 components; nine of which are aerobic exercises (forward running, forward run with skipping, forward run with knee lifts, forward run with heel kicks, sideways shuffles, zigzag running, forward running with intermittent stops, speed runs, and squat/skate jumps), and six of which are balance/strengthening exercises (front plank, side plank, nordic hamstring exercise, lunges, balancing on the wobble board, and balancing on foam balance pads).

Neuromuscular Training Warm-up

Standard-of-practice Warm-up (Control) OTHER

This is a 15-minute warm-up program designed to be implemented at the beginning of junior high school physical education classes. This warm-up is comprised of 16 components; seven of which are aerobic exercises (forward running, forward running with arm swings, side shuffling, lunging, skipping, arm running with arm swings, and cool-down running), and nine of which are static stretching exercises (standing quadriceps, standing hamstrings, standing calf, standing groin, rotating ankle, lunges, standing shoulder, standing triceps, standing neck).

Control Standard-of-practice Warm-up

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 11 Years - 15 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• SCHOOLS
• junior high schools with a minimum of two physical education classes per week, per class
• physical education classes that are taught or co-taught by a physical education specialist
• SUBJECTS
• students aged 11-15 who are fully participating in physical education curriculum at baseline
• students who return completed assent and parental consent forms

You may not qualify if:

• SCHOOLS
• schools that are culturally distinct
• schools that have students that are of single sex
• schools that cater to students with special needs
• schools with incomplete grades
• SUBJECTS
• history of musculoskeletal disorders or medical condition that prevents participation in regular physical education curriculum
• history of musculoskeletal injury within 6 weeks prior to study commencement that restricts full participation in physical education
• at least 80% of participation in physical education classes over the course of the study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre: lead
• Alberta Innovates Health Solutions: collaborator
• Calgary Board of Education: collaborator
• Calgary Catholic School District: collaborator
• Ever Active Schools: collaborator
• Policywise for Children and Families: collaborator

Related Publications (1)

• Emery CA, van den Berg C, Richmond SA, Palacios-Derflingher L, McKay CD, Doyle-Baker PK, McKinlay M, Toomey CM, Nettel-Aguirre A, Verhagen E, Belton K, Macpherson A, Hagel BE. Implementing a junior high school-based programme to reduce sports injuries through neuromuscular training (iSPRINT): a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT). Br J Sports Med. 2020 Aug;54(15):913-919. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101117. Epub 2019 Dec 10.

  PMID: 31822477 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries; Athletic Injuries

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: Participants (teachers and students) are not aware of what arm they are randomized to; however, they are aware that there are two arms. The primary investigators performing the analysis and overseeing all decisions are blinded to the schools receiving the intervention vs control program.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Randomized controlled trial. Upon enrolment into the study, a school will be randomly assigned to the intervention (neuromuscular training warm-up) or control group (standard-of-practice warm-up). Schools that have been randomized to the control arm will be invited to participate in the study in the following year as an intervention school. Schools that have been randomized to the intervention arm will be invited to participate in the study in the following year as a maintenance school (will continue with the intervention).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 4, 2017
• First Posted: October 17, 2017
• Study Start: September 1, 2014
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2018
• Study Completion: August 30, 2020
• Last Updated: April 3, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-04