Is It Possible to Improve Performance in Competition After an Adductor Longus Injury in Professional Football Players?

Abstract

Context: Adductor longus muscle strains are one of the most common injuries occurring in intermittent sports such as soccer.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to know the effect of a specific rehabilitation and reconditioning program, which was previously validated, after adductor longus injury in professional soccer players.

Methods: A specific rehabilitation and reconditioning program was applied to 11 injured male professional soccer players.

Participants: Eleven male professional soccer players (age = 29.18 [4.45] y; height = 179.64 [4.97] cm; mass = 75.33 [3.84] kg).

Interventions: In the first place, the days taken to return to full team training and to return to competition (RTP) was analyzed; second, the most important performance parameters were analyzed and compared in the preinjury match (PRE) and after the return to competition at 2 different points in time (RTP1-RTP2).

Results: The return to full team training recorded was 11.91 (1.92) days and the RTP was 15.36 (3.04) days. Match performance parameters showed significant improvements after injury. Significant improvements were observed during RTP2, in the variables of high-speed running (P = .002), very high-speed running (P = .006), acceleration (>3 m/s2; P = .048), and high metabolic load distance (P = .009).

Conclusion: The results allow us to conclude that this program was very effective, as it allowed the players to obtain similar and/or higher performance values in a reduced period of time after the injury.