Functional Movement Training Versus Functional Stability Training in Post-ACL Surgery

Athletes involves fast movement and intense activity which places great stress on the leg muscles and increases the chances of ACL injuries. Changing direction quickly, jumping and landing strangely or encountering another person or an object can result in these injuries. Rehabilitation efforts after ACL reconstruction should cover strengthening the joint and enhancing neuromuscular skills that athletes need for their sporting activities. It is hypothesized that following rehabilitation protocols involving functional movements and stability exercises may improve control of muscles, make joints more stable and lead to safer movement techniques. Aiming to see the effects of Functional Movement Training compared to Functional Stability Training on function and stability post-ACL surgery in athletes, this study will investigate their meaning.

This randomized controlled trial study will include 32 athletes aged 18-35 who had ACL surgery. After surgery, participants will be selected and assigned randomly to the Functional Movement Training or Functional Stability Training groups. The Functional Movement Training protocol will include exercise: deep squat, hurdle step, in-line lunge, active straight leg raise, trunk stability push-up, and rotatory stability etc. The Functional Stability Training protocol will emphasize exercises Single-leg squats, Balance boards or BOSU ball training, Planks and side planks., Step-ups, lunges, and agility drills. Both exercises will be performed 3 times per week for 8 weeks. The main goals will be to assess pain, balance and function and knee stability. The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Japanese Knee Questionnaire (JACL 25) and PRSI tools will be used for collecting data. The analysis will be conducted with SPSS software and it will include use of descriptive statistics, Normality test, independent t-tests, and paired t-tests. The significance level will be p < 0.05 for this study.

Inclusion criteria

• Male Athletes
• Athletes aged between 18-35 years
• Athletes who have undergone ACL reconstructive surgery within the previous 3-6 months .

Exclusion criteria

• History of multiple knee surgeries (meniscus repair, partial meniscectomy, or cartilage repair) Other lower limb injuries affecting rehabilitation
• Systemic illnesses affecting musculoskeletal function
• Individuals with alcohol or drug abuse issues
• Those involved in other weight and balance training programs