Relationship Between Proprioceptive Flexibility and the Occurrence of Lower Limb Ligament Injury in Pivot-contact Sports

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

proprioceptive profile measurement: Proprioceptive profile is measured by assessing static bipodal balance on a force platform. The patient is asked to stand motionless in bipodal support on a stable and then unstable floor, with vision masked by an eye mask. The investigators randomly apply a tendon vibration (80Hz) to the subjects' Achilles tendons or paravertebral muscles. This vibration alters proprioceptive information in the vibrated zone, leading to a disturbance in postural balance and an increased displacement of the center of pressure, whose position is continuously calculated from the force platform's sensors. Thus, depending on the amount of displacement of the center of pressure, the investigator calculates a proprioceptive weighting ratio (PWR) to deduce the weight assigned by the Central Nervous System to the various proprioceptive inputs during the postural task. An PWR of 1 indicates 100% use of information from the ankle, while an PWR of 0 means 100% use of information from the hip.

Study summary

Among young athletes involved in pivot and pivot-contact sports (soccer, handball, rugby, etc.), lateral ankle sprains and lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are the most frequent ligament injuries. Despite existing prevention programs, these injuries lead to prolonged downtime, risk of recurrence and long-term sequelae.

A little-studied risk factor is proprioceptive rigidity, defined as the central nervous system's difficulty in adapting the use of sensory information (proprioception) according to environment and motor context. This deficit could limit the ability to maintain balance in high-risk situations, thereby increasing the likelihood of injury.

To our knowledge, there is no evidence of a direct link between proprioceptive profile (flexible/rigid) and the incidence of lower-limb ligament injury. If such a link is established, preventive strategies focusing on the recovery of an optimal proprioceptive profile could be developed in an attempt to limit the occurrence of ligament injuries in young elite and sub-elite athletes, and thus limit the medical, financial and personal repercussions for these athletes.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Rate of occurrence of lower limb ligament injuries in groups of athletes with rigid proprioceptive profiles — During 1 year after inclusion
  Data collection on the occurrence of injuries will be carried out by club doctors, who will complete a questionnaire sent to them by e-mail by the investigator. They will then be contacted once a month by a single person to centralize the data.
• Rate of occurrence of lower limb ligament injuries in groups of athletes with flexible proprioceptive profiles — During 1 year after inclusion
  Data collection on the occurrence of injuries will be carried out by club doctors, who will complete a questionnaire sent to them by e-mail by the investigator. They will then be contacted once a month by a single person to centralize the data.

Trial sites (1)

More University Hospital, Montpellier trials in France