Correlation Between Gastrocnemius Muscle Strain and Functional Performance in Footballers

June 17, 2025 updated by: Muhammad Naveed Babur, Superior University
Footballers are highly prone to lower extremity injuries due to the intense physical demands of the sport, with calf muscle strains, particularly gastrocnemius injuries, being very common. The gastrocnemius muscle plays a critical role in movement, posture, and athletic performance.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study aims to determine the correlation between the severity of gastrocnemius muscle strain and functional performance among footballers. Participants aged 18-40 years with clinically diagnosed gastrocnemius strains were assessed using the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) and Hop Test. Severity was categorized through physical examination techniques like palpation, passive dorsiflexion stretch, and resisted plantarflexion tests. Data analysis will explore the relationship between strain severity and functional outcomes, providing valuable insights into rehabilitation strategies and return to play decisions for injured athletes. This study addresses a research gap by focusing specifically on footballers and correlating strain severity with sport-specific functional performance.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
158

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
      • Lahore, Pakistan
        • Superior university support club

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Footballers are highly prone to lower extremity injuries due to the intense physical demands of the sport, with calf muscle strains, particularly gastrocnemius injuries, being very common.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Both male and female patients aged between 18 and 40 years.
  • At least six months of football training.
  • The study focused on players with gastrocnemius muscle injury injuries diagnosed by physical examination; palpation, Stretch Test (Passive Dorsiflexion Test), Resisted Plantarflexion Test.
  • Willing to provide written informed consent and comply with study protocols.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Players with Achilles tendon injuries were excluded from the study.
  • History of extrinsic trauma
  • soleus or other calf injury not meeting inclusion conditions
  • Inability to perform rehabilitation
  • No intention to return to full sports act

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Ankle plantar flexion test
Diagnostic test: Ankle plantar flexion test:
Ankle plantarflexion is valid test used to assess for gastrocnemius muscle strain . Patient is asked to actively plantarflex the foot against resistance while examiner Observe ,this action activates the gastrocnemius muscle .The reliability for ankle plantar flexion is 0.81 to 0.99. If the patient reports pain in the region of gastrocnemius, the test is positive. If there is no pain , weakness or difficulty performing plantarflexion then suggest that test is negative.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS)
Time Frame: 6 Month
The Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) is a questionnaire used to assess an individual's functional limitations related to their lower extremities. It contains 20 items, each scored on a scale of 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating better function. The total score ranges from 0 to 80, with 80 representing no functional limitations
6 Month
Hop tests
Time Frame: 6 Months
The Hop tests are used to assess lower limb function, particularly after injury, and are scored using the Limb Symmetry Index (LSI) by comparing the injured leg's performance to the uninjured leg. A score of 90% or higher on the LSI is generally considered a satisfactory level of recovery, indicating readiness to return to sports.
6 Months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Superior University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 4, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 17, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 17, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 17, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • DPT/Batch-Fall20/1005

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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