Genu Varum, Change of Direction, and Reactive Agility in Youth Football Players

NCT07798869 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2025-89
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 34
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational study is to compare change-of-direction (COD) and reactive agility (RA) performance between football players with and without genu varum and to examine whether lower-limb alignment is associated with these performance measures. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. 1.Do football players with and without genu varum differ in COD and RA performance?
2. 2.Is lower-limb alignment associated with COD and RA performance in football players with and without genu varum?

Conditions

Genu Varum

Keywords

Genu varum; Lower-limb alignment; Football players; Soccer players; Change of direction; Knee alignment; Lower extremity alignment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change-of-direction performance

  Change-of-direction performance will be assessed using the SpeedCourt system (Globalspeed GmbH, Hemsbach, Germany). The test consists of a 14.5-m running course with four changes of direction. Performance will be evaluated based on total completion time, with lower times indicating better change-of-direction performance.

  at basline

• Reactive agility performance

  Reactive agility performance will be assessed using the SpeedCourt system (Globalspeed GmbH, Hemsbach, Germany). Participants will respond as quickly and accurately as possible to randomly presented visual stimuli and perform the required directional movements. Performance will be evaluated based on total completion time, with lower times indicating better reactive agility performance.

  at basline

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Intercondylar distance and intermalleolar distance

  at basline

Study Arms (2)

Genu Varum Group

Football players with genu varum who will be assessed for lower-limb alignment, change-of-direction performance, and reactive agility performance.

Control Group

Football players without genu varum who will be assessed for lower-limb alignment, change-of-direction performance, and reactive agility performance.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consisted of male youth football players recruited from the academy of a professional football club based in Antalya, Türkiye. The football club competes in the Turkish Süper Lig, the highest tier of professional football in Türkiye.

You may qualify if:

• At least five years of football experience
• Participation in football training at least five days per week
• Voluntary participation in the study

You may not qualify if:

• History of lower extremity surgery
• Current musculoskeletal injury affecting performance

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Akdeniz University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Akdeniz University

Antalya, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Genu Varum

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Bone Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 28, 2026
• First Posted: September 1, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2025
• Study Completion: June 12, 2025
• Last Updated: September 3, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Locations

TU (1)