An investigation of neuromuscular characteristics for two intervention programs in an attempt to reduce ACL injury risk in netball

Neuromuscular control during high risk sporting movements, such as abrupt landings found in netball, is viewed as a risk factor contributing to Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. Although the mechanism of injury remains relatively unclear, it has been found that intervention studies have reduced the risk of ACL injury. However, there are limited studies that investigate the neuromuscular contribution to the success of a program. Therefore the purpose of this investigation was to compare neuromuscular characteristics for a balance training group (BT) and landing training group (LT). Twenty-four female netball players from three teams (age 22 ± 5 years) had EMG data recorded for the right lower limb (rectus femoris, medial and lateral hamstrings, gluteus medius) pre and post a 6-week intervention period. Each team was randomly assigned the BT, LT or control group. Subjects performed the intervention program three times per week. The repetitions and complexity of balance or landing tasks during the training period increased each week with a concurrent reduction in feedback regarding torso, hip and knee positioning