Journal of Modern Rehabilitation

Investigating the Effects of a Warm-Up Injury Prevention Protocol on Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Elite Basketball Players

Ali Honarvar — 2025-04-01

Introduction: Athletes involved in sports requiring frequent cutting and pivoting movements are at increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. This study investigates the effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up exercises, including strength, balance, plyometric, and core stability training, in reducing ACL injury risk.
Materials and Methods: A total of 30 adolescent male basketball players (age = 13-18 years) were randomly assigned to either the control group (n=15; age = 15.66±1.7 years, height = 172.7±9.6 cm, weight = 66.74±11.2 kg) or the neuromuscular training (NMT) group (n=15; age = 14.73±0.70 years, height = 174.0±6.7 cm, weight = 64.79±10.8 kg). The NMT group performed a structured injury prevention warm-up program three times a week for eight weeks before regular basketball training (20 min), while the control group followed their usual basketball practice. Measurements of knee proprioception (including specific motion directions), knee valgus and flexion torque, trunk endurance via the Biering-Sorenson test, and isometric strength of various muscle groups were taken pre- and post-intervention.
Results: Significant improvements in isometric strength were observed in all assessed muscle groups in the NMT group (P<0.05); however, no significant changes were found in knee valgus, flexion torque, trunk endurance, or knee proprioception (P>0.05).
Conclusion: While the NMT protocol significantly improves isometric muscle strength in adolescent male basketball players, it does not show a direct effect on other ACL injury risk factors. Therefore, incorporating NMT into training routines may support strength development but should be combined with other targeted interventions to reduce ACL injury risk more effectively.

Translation, Cultural Adaptation, and Validity of Barnes Language Assessment in Persian Ageing Population: A Preliminary Study

Ahmad Reza Khatoonabadi — 2025-04-01

Introduction: As the global population ages, the need for sensitive language assessments for dementia increases. While the Barnes language assessment (BLA) is a valuable tool in English, it has not been translated and validated for Persian-speaking populations.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional translated and culturally adapted the BLA into Persian (BLA-Per) and evaluated its psychometric properties. The translation process followed the international quality of life assessment protocol. The BLA-Per was administered to 30 healthy older adults and 30 individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD). Test-retest reliability was assessed in the AD group. Statistical data analysis was performed using the SPSS software (version 24) at a significance level of 0.05.
Results: Due to significant differences between the patients and cognitively healthy groups regarding age and education years, we used the analysis of covariance to control for these variables’ effects on between-group comparisons. Significant differences in BLA-Per scores were observed between healthy controls and AD patients in 8 out of 14 test components, demonstrating good discriminative validity. Intra-class correlation coefficients for test-retest reliability were above 0.75 for most subtests.
Conclusion: The BLA-Per demonstrated good validity and reliability in assessing language impairments in Persian-speaking individuals with AD. Future research should investigate the BLA-Per in larger samples across different age groups and stages of AD.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Home-Based Exercise Therapy on Quality of Life and Depression in Orthotopic Liver Transplantation Recipients

Mohammad Javaherian — 2025-04-01

Introduction: Liver transplantation can change the quality of life, physical activity, mood, and psychological symptoms in patients. Considering that exercise capacity is correlated to the level of depression and quality of life among patients, this study investigates the effect of exercise therapy on the quality of life and depression in orthotopic liver transplantation recipients (LTRs).
Materials and Methods: This was a single-blinded study with randomized controlled trial parallel groups, and 30 LTRs were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio. The experimental group underwent a three-month home-based exercise therapy, while the control group received no exercise therapy. Assessments included short-form-36 and the Beck depression questionnaires, along with the 6-min walk test.
Results: There was no significant difference between groups in demographic characteristics. Before the intervention, the mean scores of depression in the intervention and control groups were 27.87±8.68 and 25.77±6.77, respectively. After the intervention, t-test revealed a significant difference between the two groups (P=0.001). The results of the t-test indicated that the average quality of life dimensions improved post-intervention compared to the control group, with significant differences in the scores of these dimensions. After the intervention, the t-test showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the 6-min walk test (P=0.001).
Conclusion: Rehabilitation through prescribed exercise can improve quality of life and physical activity, and alleviate depression symptoms in LTRs. As a result, incorporating physiotherapy into the post-transplantation care of transplant recipients holds potential benefits.

Investigating Anxiety, Mobility, Disability and Proprioception in Adults with Mild Neck Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Pablo Mleziva — 2025-04-01

Introduction: Studies on subclinical neck pain (SCNP), known as mild pain lack proper literature. This study examines the differences in anxiety, neck movement, disability, and proprioception in people with chronic SCNP (12 females and 4 males, age = 28.1±4.0 years) and people without neck pain (17 females and 6 males, age = 25.8±3.1 years).
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study with 39 participants was conducted. The participants were instructed to score their pain using the visual analog scale (pain group: < 4/10 and normal group: 0/10), anxiety level with the state-trait anxiety inventory, and neck disability with the neck disability index. In addition, active range of motion and joint position errors were assessed in participants of both groups.
Results: There was no significant difference in mean baseline characteristics between the two groups. The participants in the pain group reported significantly higher median neck disability index (P≤0.001) and higher mean current state-trait anxiety inventory state (P=0.032) scores compared to participants with no pain. No significant differences in mean flexion, extension, lateral flexion right, lateral flexion left, rotation right, or rotation left were found between groups (P=0.95, P=0.68, P=0.29, P=0.59, P=0.70, and P=0.17, respectively). In addition, there were no significant differences in mean cervical spine joint position error flexion, extension, rotation right, and rotation left by the study group (P=0.65, P=0.33, P=0.26, and P=0.23, respectively).
Conclusion: SCNP can substantially influence functional ability and anxiety levels, especially among students in higher education institutions dealing with additional stressors. The interaction between pain intensity, disability, and anxiety underscores the potential for a detrimental feedback loop, underscoring the significance of early intervention.

Investigating the Effectiveness of an Exercise Protocol for Dynamic Balance in Amateur Female Soccer Players: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Shirley Mireya Ortiz Pérez — 2025-04-01

Introduction: Women’s soccer and preventive training strategies have gained popularity in the last decade; accordingly, this study determines the effectiveness of a dynamic balance exercise protocol in amateur soccer players.
Materials and Methods: A total of 24 females participated in this study and were randomly assigned to a control (n=12) and an experimental group (n=12). The experimental group received a dynamic balance exercise intervention with three weekly sessions for six weeks, while the control group maintained regular training. Balance was assessed before and after by the Y balance test in its anterior, posterior medial, and posterior lateral directions. The data were analyzed through the t-test for independent and related samples.
Results: The analysis of this study shows significant improvements in dynamic balance (P=0.000) in the experimental group after the intervention of the dynamic balance exercise program for six weeks, while in the control group, there were no significant improvements.
Conclusion: Dynamic balance exercise programs can be used to increase the balance of amateur female soccer players.