Body weight neuromuscular training improves performance on Y-Balance Test in female National basketball players

Aim: Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test (YBT) is a functional and inexpensive postural control measurement tool that can identify individuals at an elevated risk of injury (1). The aim of this study was to investigate if bodyweight neuromuscular intervention could improve performances on YBT in female basketball players in order to postural stability and therefore a reduction of lower limbs injuries. Methods: In this longitudinal randomized controlled study,twenty-eight healthy female basketball players (age: 20±2 years old; body mass 63±7 kg; height: 1.72±0.07 cm; weekly training volume 7±1 hours) volunteered participated to the study. Subjects were randomized into training group (n=14) and control group (n=14). All subjects were tested at baseline and after 8 weeks of conventional basketball training program during the national regular season. In each testing session data on anthropometry and YBT were collected. The experimental group underwent instead of the standard warm-up, 30 min of body-weight neuromuscular training intervention using plyometric and core stability exercises, designed for improve lower extremity strength and core strength. Results: The two-way repeated measure analysis of variance ANOVA shows that the experimental group significantly improved posteromedial (p<0.05) posterolateral (p<0.05) and composite score (p<0.01) of YBT for both limbs. No differences for the anterior direction for both groups were detected. In addition, the experimental group significantly improved the performances on posteromedial (right p<0.05; left: p<0.01) and composite score (right p<0.01; left: p<0.01) respect the control group. Conclusions: These findings illustrate that this type of body-weight neuromuscular training used as warm-up improve lower extremity stability assessed with YBT in junior female basketball players reducing therefore the risk lower limb injuries. In addition these findings demonstrate that this type of protocol is just as effective as protocols that involves equipment that are less portable, more expensive, and possibly less practical during the training sessions.