Prevention of Lower Limb and Groin Injuries: the Sport Without Injury ProgrammE (SWIPE) Football Trial

NCT04272047 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2019-06462
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 548
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This is a three-armed intervention study that evaluates the injury preventive effects of three different training interventions in youth and adult football players. Two intervention arms are randomized and one arm acts as a non-randomized comparison group. Half of randomized participants will receive a general injury prevention exercise program with emphasis on the lower extremities, and the other half a hip/groin focused injury prevention exercise. A third group of participants who already use an injury prevention exercise program at study inclusion are invited to participate as a non-randomized comparison group and continue their usual training practices.

Conditions

Athletic Injuries

Keywords

Prevention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• All physical complaints injury in four main locations

  Any football related injury occurring to the ankle, knee, hamstrings and hip/groin, regardless of need of care or absence from football training or matches ("all physical complaints" injury definition)

  Study start up to end of season (7 months)

Secondary Outcomes (14)

• All physical complaints injury

  Study start up to end of season (7 months)

• Time-loss injury

  Study start up to end of season (7 months)

• Medical attention injury

  Study start up to end of season (7 months)

• Acute or gradual onset injury

  Study start up to end of season (7 months)

• Substantial injury

  Study start up to end of season (7 months)

Study Arms (3)

Knee Control+

EXPERIMENTAL

Knee Control+ consists of 6 different exercises, with 10 different variations/progressions, and takes 10-15 minutes to complete. In addition, teams are instructed to perform a 5-minute running warm-up before the Knee Control+ exercises. Teams are to carry out the running warm-up and Knee Control+ at all training sessions, and the running warm-up before all matches, during the whole season. Knee Control+ is based on the Knee Control program but with more variations for each exercise making it easier to tailor for the needs in the respective teams.

Other: Knee Control+ program

Adductor strengthening program

EXPERIMENTAL

The Adductor strengthening program consists of a single exercise with three levels of difficulty. The exercise is based on the Copenhagen Adduction exercise. Teams are to carry out the Adductor strengthening program as part of their regular warm-up 2-3 times per week, one set per side, during the pre-season, and 1 time per week, one set per side during the in-season.

Other: Adductor strengthening program

Knee Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Teams will carry on their normal training and warm-up routines using the Knee Control program with no intervention from the researchers. Knee Control consists of 6 different exercises, with 4 different variations/progressions and 1 pair-exercise.

Other: Knee Control program

Interventions

Knee Control program OTHER

15-20 minute training program to be performed as per the team's usual routines (no intervention from the researchers).

Knee Control

Adductor strengthening program OTHER

Adductor strengthening program to be performed 2-3 times per week, one set per side, during the pre-season, and 1 time per week, one set per side during the in-season.

Adductor strengthening program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Teams participating in youth or adult league series in the 2020 football season. All players in the eligible teams will be invited to participate (players from the age of 14 and older, born 2006 or earlier)
• Teams who have not used a structured training program aiming to prevent injuries that resembles the 3 intervention arms (e.g. the Knee Control program, Knee Control+ program, 11+ program, Adductor strengthening program) on a regular basis the last year
• Teams who have scheduled training at least twice per week
• Teams participating in youth or adult league series in the 2020 football season. All players in the eligible teams will be invited to participate (players from the age of 14 and older, born 2006 or earlier)
• Teams who have used the Knee Control program on a regular basis the last year, but no other structured training program aiming to prevent injuries (e.g. the Knee Control+ program, 11+ program, Adductor strengthening program)
• Teams who have scheduled training at least twice per week

You may not qualify if:

• Teams who have used a structured groin injury prevention exercise program (e.g. Adductor strengthening program, Hölmich protocol) on a regular basis the last year

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Linkoeping University: lead
• The Swedish Research Council: collaborator
• Swedish Research Council for Sport Science: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Linköping University

Linköping, 58183, Sweden

Location

Related Publications (4)

• Lindblom H, Akerlund I, Walden M, Sonesson S, Hagglund M. Players are positive regarding injury prevention exercise programmes, but coaches need ongoing support: a survey-based evaluation using the Health Action Process Approach model across one season in amateur and youth football. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2024 Jun 24;10(2):e002009. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2024-002009. eCollection 2024.

  PMID: 38933370 DERIVED

• Sonesson S, Lindblom H, Hagglund M. Higher age and present injury at the start of the season are risk factors for in-season injury in amateur male and female football players-a prospective cohort study. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2023 Oct;31(10):4618-4630. doi: 10.1007/s00167-023-07517-6. Epub 2023 Aug 5.

  PMID: 37542529 DERIVED

• Lindblom H, Walden M, Hagglund M. Adherence to Injury Prevention Exercise Programmes in Amateur Adolescent and Adult Football: A Detailed Description of Programme Use from a Randomised Study. Sports Med Open. 2023 Jul 15;9(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s40798-023-00608-1.

  PMID: 37452894 DERIVED

• Lindblom H, Sonesson S, Torvaldsson K, Walden M, Hagglund M. Extended Knee Control programme lowers weekly hamstring, knee and ankle injury prevalence compared with an adductor strength programme or self-selected injury prevention exercises in adolescent and adult amateur football players: a two-armed cluster-randomised trial with an additional comparison arm. Br J Sports Med. 2023 Jan;57(2):83-90. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105890. Epub 2022 Oct 31.

  PMID: 36316115 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Athletic Injuries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Martin Hägglund, Professor

  Linkoeping University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Physiotherapists who assess injuries are blinded to group belonging. Statistician performing outcome analyses are blinded to group belonging.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: This is a three-armed intervention study that evaluates the injury preventive effects of three different training interventions in youth and adult football players. Two intervention arms are randomized and one arm acts as a non-randomized comparison group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 10, 2020
• First Posted: February 17, 2020
• Study Start: March 30, 2020
• Primary Completion: November 30, 2020
• Study Completion: December 31, 2020
• Last Updated: April 7, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP
• Time Frame: Preliminary in autumn 2020
• Access Criteria: Study protocol and statistical analysis plan is planned to be submitted in writing to an open access scientific journal

Locations

SE (1)