Effect of an 8-Week Neuromuscular Warm-Up Program on Balance, Reaction Time, and Proprioception in Athletes of the Iranian National Para-Taekwondo Team: A Clinical Trial.

Abstract

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of an 8-week neuromuscular warm-up program on dynamic balance, reaction time (RT), and knee joint proprioception in 24 elite Iranian Para-taekwondo athletes (K44 class). Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 12), performing the martial arts striking sports (MASS-12) protocol (three sessions/week, 20 min/session), or a control group (n = 12), following routine warm-ups. Outcome measures included dynamic balance (Biodex Balance System), knee proprioception at 30° and 70° (joint position reproduction), and visual RT. A 2 × 2 mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed significant Group × Time interactions for dynamic balance (p = .001, η2 = .19, d = 1.06) and RT (p = .03, η2 = .22, d = 0.94). The intervention group showed significant within-group improvements in dynamic balance (p = .001), RT (p = .02), and proprioception at 30° (p = .01, d = 1.20) and 70° (p = .04, d = 1.30), with no significant changes in the control group. Between-group differences at posttest were significant for dynamic balance (p = .04) and RT (p = .03). These findings suggest that the MASS-12 neuromuscular warm-up enhances key functional indicators, potentially reducing injury risk in Para-taekwondo athletes. Implications for adapted physical activity practitioners include integrating this low-cost, feasible protocol into training regimens to optimize performance and safety.