Sustained Improvements in Dynamic Balance and Landing Mechanics After a 6-Week Neuromuscular Training Program in College Women's Basketball Players

Context: Epidemiological data demonstrate the need for lower-extremity injury-prevention training. Neuromuscular control (NMC) programs are immediately effective at minimizing lower-extremity injury risk and improving sport-related performance measures. Research investigating lasting effects after an injury-prevention program is limited. Objective: To determine whether dynamic balance, landing mechanics, and hamstring and quadriceps strength could be improved after a 6-wk NMC intervention and maintained for a season. Design: Prospective case series. Setting: Controlled laboratory. Participants: 11 Division I women's basketball players (age 19.40 +/- 1.35 y, height 178.05 +/- 7.52 cm, mass 72.86 +/- 10.70 kg). Interventions: Subjects underwent testing 3 times, completing the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), and isometric strength testing for the hamstrings and quadriceps muscles. Pretest and posttest 1 occurred immediately before and after the intervention, respectively, and posttest 2 at the end of the competitive season, 9 mo after posttest 1. Subjects participated in eighteen 30-min plyometric and NMC-training sessions over a 6-wk period. Main Outcome Measures: The normalized SEBT composite score, normalized peak isometric hamstrings:quadriceps (H:Q) ratio, and the LESS total score. Results: The mean composite reach significantly improved over time (F-2,F-10 = 6.96, P = .005) where both posttest scores were significantly higher than pretest (70.41% +/- 4.08%) (posttest 1 73.48% +/- 4.19%, t(10) = -3.11, P = .011) and posttest 2 (74.2% +/- 4.77%, t(10) = -3.78, P = .004). LESS scores significantly improved over time (F-2,F-10 = 6.29, P = .009). The pretest LESS score (7.30 +/- 3.40) was higher than posttest 1 (4.9 +/- 1.20, t(10) = 2.71, P = .024) and posttest 2 (5.44 +/- 1.83, t(10) = 2.58, P = .030). There were no statistically significant differences (P > .05) over time for the H:Q ratio when averaging both legs (F-2,F-10 = 0.83, P = .45). Conclusions: A 6-wk NMC program improved landing mechanics and dynamic balance over a 9-mo period in women's basketball players. NMC adaptations can be retained without an in-season maintenance program.