Real-time Optimized Biofeedback Utilizing Sport Techniques (ROBUST) represents an innovative new approach to reduce traumatic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Over the last four decades, these debilitating injuries have occurred at a 2 to 10-fold greater rate in female compared to male athletes with the highest prevalence occurring between the ages of 16-18 years. As a consequence, there is a large population of females that endure significant pain, functional limitations and knee osteoarthritis (OA) as early as 5 years after the initial unintentional injury. To reduce the burden of OA, The National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis recommends both expanding and refining evidence-based prevention of ACL injury. There currently is a gap in knowledge regarding how to maximize the effectiveness of injury prevention training in young female athletes. The long-term goal is to reduce ACL injuries in young female athletes. The objective of this application is to increase the efficacy of biofeedback training to reduce the risk of ACL injury. This proposal tests the central hypothesis that biofeedback methodology is needed to maximize the effectiveness of neuromuscular prophylactic interventions. The rationale supporting this proposal is that once the proposed research is completed, health professionals will be more successful at preventing devastating ACL injuries through properly optimized and targeted biofeedback training for young at-risk females.
Specific Aim 1 will identify the most optimal, focused approach for biofeedback in adolescent females at high risk for ACL injury. A six-week randomized, pre/post-testing design will be used to identify biofeedback training effects.
Specific Aim 2 will determine the effects of hip strategy on retention of decreased knee abduction load with focused biofeedback. A six-month follow-up design will be used to test retention of real-time biofeedback intervention. This research is innovative because it represents a new and substantive departure from the status quo by recognizing the need to optimize the application of biofeedback training. The work will contribute clinically relevant data in support of a future more robust clinical trial. The proposed research will be significant because it will lead to reduced rates of ACL injury in young females. Reduction of female injury rates to equal that of males would allow females annually to continue the health benefits of sports participation and avoid the long- term complications of osteoarthritis, which occurs with a 10 to 100-fold greater incidence in ACL-injured than in uninjured athletes.
There is a strong association between anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury and development of posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis at a relatively young age, which also occurs with much greater incidence in females than males. The proposed research is relevant to public health because discovery of successful knee injury prevention techniques with biofeedback will lead to fewer young women that sustain injuries which are currently a major short and long term individual and public health problem within the United States. The project is relevant to NIH's mission because the knowledge gained will be used to optimize interventions that will enhance health and reduce the burdens of injury that afflict women disproportionately compared to males.
| Hewett, Timothy E; Ford, Kevin R; Xu, Yingying Y et al. (2017) Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Training Based on the Neuromuscular Risk Profile. Am J Sports Med 45:2142-2147 |
| Taylor, Jeffrey B; Nguyen, Anh-Dung; Paterno, Mark V et al. (2017) Real-time optimized biofeedback utilizing sport techniques (ROBUST): a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 18:71 |
