Abstract

Introduction. Football players of all ages frequently experience knee pain, which may result from unexpected injuries such as sprains, strains, or contusions. A primary risk factor for knee pain is knee injury. A progressive jump training and core neuromuscular training program with short session durations and program lengths can provide similar benefits for landing skills and functional performance as longer-term, mixed-content training programs.

Aim of the study. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of jump training along with core neuromuscular training in football players in improving anterior knee pain, functional performance, and knee valgus using Dartfish software.

Materials and methods. A study was conducted among football players aged 18 to 25 years who reported anterior knee pain, increased knee valgus, and performance deficits. All participants underwent a jump training program combined with core neuromuscular training and hip posterolateral strengthening exercises for four weeks.

Results. The post-intervention Kujala scale values for the experimental and control groups were 89.36 and 67.60, respectively. The mean post-test values for the cross-over hop test for the experimental and control groups were as follows: for males, the right side measured 265.38 and 209.85, while the left side measured 255.42 and 197.62. For females, the right side measured 223.00 and 208.08, while the left side measured 226.18 and 202.15. The mean post-test values for knee valgus in the experimental and control groups were 8.38 and 7.46 for males and 11.08 and 8.83 for females.

Conclusion. This study concludes that jump training combined with core neuromuscular training significantly improves functional performance and reduces anterior knee pain and knee valgus in football players.

Key words

football, knee valgus, anterior knee pain, functional performance, jump training, core neuromuscular training