Virtual Neuromuscular Training: Preliminary Findings Using an Injury Prevention Program for Physically Active Adults

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Injury Prevention
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Neuromuscular training (NMT) is a proven injury prevention strategy.
• Barriers to in-person NMT delivery necessitate exploring virtual options.
• Understanding functional deficits associated with injury risk is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate injury incidence after a virtual NMT intervention.
• To identify functional performance metrics predicting subsequent injuries.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial involving 40 adults (18-40 years).
• Functional tests included reaction time (RT), tandem gait, vestibular/oculomotor function, and cervical spine proprioception.
• An 8-week virtual NMT program was delivered via smartphone application.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in subsequent injury rates between virtual NMT and control groups.
• Slower clinical RT (P=.02) and poorer cervical spine proprioception (P=.007) were associated with subsequent injuries.
• Trends suggested slower tandem gait and poorer vestibular/oculomotor function in injured individuals.

Conclusions:

• Virtual NMT did not demonstrate a significant effect on injury incidence in this cohort.
• Clinical RT and cervical spine proprioception performance may serve as injury risk indicators.
• Further research is needed to optimize virtual NMT for injury prevention.