EFFECTIVENESS OF ECCENTRIC HAMSTRING CONTRACTIONS WITH PHYSIOTHERAPY TRAINING ON SPORTS PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WITH NON-CONTACT GRADE 1 ACL INJURY

NCT07115316 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: MOHAP/DXB-REC/ J.F.M /No. 21/
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 180
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The overall aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of eccentric hamstring contractions on sports performance in young male football players with non-contact grade 1 Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries. Treatment allocation will be assigned using an automated randomization process developed by an independent person who is not involved in the study. Computer-generated random numbers will be used for randomization into two groups. Inclusion criteria Eligible patients with physician-diagnosed non-contact acute grade 1 ACL injury within the past 6 weeks will be invited from the selected clubs for participation in the trial. Participants who can perform full Range of Motion in the injured knee without pain will be included. Male football players between age 19-25 years old, currently playing in UAE, who speak English language and with physician-diagnosed non-contact grade 1 ACL injury will be included in the trial. Exclusion Criteria

• Players with contact ACL injuries.
• Players with chronic grade 1 ACL Injuries.
• If pain and swelling are severe and occur within 24 hours after exercise, will be excluded from the study.
• Grade 2 and above ACL injuries.
• Female players.
• Players aged below 18 years or above 25 years.
• Players with a history of surgery on the same knee.
• Players with injuries to the menisci or other ligaments.
• Players who do not speak English.
• Players who refuse to provide written informed consent to participate in the trial.
• Players currently enrolled in other formal rehabilitation programs. There is no invasive procedure to be done. It focuses on strengthening the hamstrings muscle, specifically through eccentric contractions, which involve lengthening the muscle while it's under tension along with normal physiotherapy exercises. The comparator group receives a variety of physiotherapy exercises aimed at improving strength, flexibility, and balance around the knee. For those patients who have mild pain or swelling will also be given TENS and Ultrasound.

Conditions

Grade 1 Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Keywords

Eccentric hamstring exercises

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• ACL Quality of Life (ACL-QOL) questionnaire

  Description: The ACL-QOL is a self-administered scale composed of 32 items divided into 5 domains: symptoms and physical complaints (5 items), work-related concerns (4 items), recreational activity and sport participation or competition Each domain has a proportional value according to the number of questions and is assessed with a 100-mm visual analog scale. A higher score indicates a better QOL

  first intervention day and 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Sargent vertical jump test

  First day of intervention and at 3 months

Other Outcomes (2)

• The Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury scale (ACL-RSI).

  First day of intervention and after 3 months

• Psychological scoring using the Athletic Mental Energy Scale (AMES) questionnaire

  First day of intervention and after 3 months

Study Arms (2)

Control Arm (conventional physiotherapy)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Receives conventional physiotherapy alone 1. Knee Straightening (Extension) 2. Knee Bend (Flexion): 3. Inner Range Quads 4. Straight Leg Raise 5. Lunge to Split Lunge 6. Single Leg Sit to Stand 7. Standing Hamstring Curls 8. Double/Single Leg Bridge 9. Side Lie Hip Abductions 10. Crab Walks 11. Forward Step Ups 12. Calf Raises. 13. Single Leg Balance 14. Clock Face Mini Squat 15. Arabesque Clock 16. Two-Legged Jump / Single-Legged Hop

Other: Exercises

Experimental Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Receives both intervention exercises and conventional physiotherapy

Other: Exercises

Interventions

Exercises OTHER

1. Nordic hamstring curls 2. Seated leg curls 3. Prone leg curls 4. Knee Straightening (Extension) 5. Knee Bend (Flexion) 6. Inner Range Quads 7. Straight Leg Raise 8. Lunge to Split Lunge 9. Single Leg Sit to Stand 10. Standing Hamstring Curls 11. Double/Single Leg Bridge 12. Side Lie Hip Abductions 13. Crab Walks 14. Forward Step Ups 15. Calf Raises 16. Single Leg Balance 17. Clock Face Mini Squat 18. Arabesque Clock 19. Two-Legged Jump / Single-Legged Hop

Control Arm (conventional physiotherapy); Experimental Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 25 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: Only male gender is involved in the study
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• physician-diagnosed non-contact acute grade 1 ACL injury within the past 6 weeks will be invited from the selected clubs for participation in the trial. Participants who can perform full Range of Motion in the injured knee without pain will be included. Male football players between age 19-25 years old, currently playing in UAE, who speak English language and with physician-diagnosed non-contact grade 1 ACL injury will be included in the trial.

You may not qualify if:

• Players with contact ACL injuries.
• Players with chronic grade 1 ACL Injuries.
• If pain and swelling are severe and occur within 24 hours after exercise, will be excluded from the study.
• Grade 2 and above ACL injuries.
• Female players.
• Players aged below 18 years or above 25 years.
• Players with a history of surgery on the same knee.
• Players with injuries to the menisci or other ligaments.
• Players who do not speak English.
• Players who refuse to provide written informed consent to participate in the trial.
• Players currently enrolled in other formal rehabilitation programs.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Emirates Health Services (EHS): lead
• Lincoln University College Malaysia: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Emirates Health services

Ras al-Khaimah, Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, 0000, United Arab Emirates

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Oliver GD, Dougherty CP. The razor curl: a functional approach to hamstring training. J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Mar;23(2):401-5. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31818f08d0.

  PMID: 19204567 BACKGROUND

• Milandri G, Sivarasu S. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Eccentric Versus Concentric Cycling for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rehabilitation. Am J Sports Med. 2021 Mar;49(3):626-636. doi: 10.1177/0363546520987566. Epub 2021 Feb 8.

  PMID: 33555943 BACKGROUND

• Takahashi S, Okuwaki T. Epidemiological survey of anterior cruciate ligament injury in Japanese junior high school and high school athletes: cross-sectional study. Res Sports Med. 2017 Jul-Sep;25(3):266-276. doi: 10.1080/15438627.2017.1314290. Epub 2017 Apr 10.

  PMID: 28391716 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Exercise

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Anil John, PhD

  Lincoln University College

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Physiotherapist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 4, 2025
• First Posted: August 11, 2025
• Study Start: August 9, 2025
• Primary Completion: January 30, 2026
• Study Completion: May 30, 2026
• Last Updated: October 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

AE (1)