Acute Neuromuscular Activity in Selected Injury Prevention Exercises with App-Based versus Personal On-Site...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Smartphone applications offer accessible tools for sport-related injury prevention.
• The efficacy of app-based instruction versus expert on-site coaching for neuromuscular adaptation in preventive exercises is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the acute neuromuscular and biomechanical responses to lower extremity injury preventive exercises instructed via a smartphone application versus traditional on-site physiotherapist guidance.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involved 47 female athletes randomly assigned to app-based or physiotherapist-led instruction.
• Five lower extremity exercises were performed, with hamstring and quadriceps muscle activity (EMG) and joint angles (3D motion analysis) measured.
• Surface electromyography (EMG) was normalized to maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVC).

Main Results:

• On-site instruction resulted in significantly higher medial hamstring muscle activity during the one-legged jump onto Airex and Kettlebell Swing compared to app instruction.
• The on-site group also showed greater lateral quadriceps muscle activity during one-legged jumps onto the floor and Airex compared to the app group.

Conclusions:

• Complex injury prevention exercises, such as Kettlebell Swings and one-legged jumps onto unstable surfaces, elicit lower neuromuscular activity when instructed via apps compared to in-person coaching.
• Further longitudinal research is needed to determine the long-term effectiveness of app-based versus on-site injury prevention interventions.