AI-Based Hamstring Injury Risk Analysis and Effects of the FUNBALL Program

June 10, 2026 updated by: Yeditepe University

AI-Based Hamstring Injury Risk Analysis and the Effects of the FUNBALL Program on Physical Performance and Cognitive Function in Professional Football Players

This study investigates hamstring injury risk in football players using artificial intelligence-based motion analysis (OpenPose) and evaluates the effects of a targeted exercise intervention (FUNBALL). Hamstring risk is assessed during a 30-m sprint using sagittal-plane video analysis, and players classified as medium or high risk receive a four-month FUNBALL program. A pre-post intervention design is employed, with sprint performance, agility, balance, jumping ability, kicking power, and cognitive function assessed using standardized field and cognitive tests.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

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

Before the implementation of the FUNBALL program, artificial intelligence (OpenPose) based hamstring risk analysis and 30-meter sprint test, 505 agility and direction change test, modified star balance test, 5-point jump test, maximum shot distance test and cognition tests will be applied as pre-tests (18,19). AI risk analysis will be done by examining video (30 frame rate) captured with a phone camera (iPhone 14 Pro) from the sagittal (side) plane during the 240 m sprint test. The camera will be positioned 15 meters from the level of the middle of the 30-meter sprint test with the help of a tripod. It will follow the participant's run for 30 meters in motion. The football player will be asked to do a 30 m sprint with 3 repetitions and the average of 3 repetitions will be taken as a basis. According to the artificial intelligence risk analysis, the FUNBALL program will be applied to medium and high risk groups for 4 months. At the end of the Middle Program, the same parameters will be re-evaluated. Hamstring risk analysis and speed parameter will be evaluated with 30 meter sprint test, agility parameter 505 with direction change and agility test, cognition parameter with color word stroop test, n-back test and digit span test, balance and proprioception parameter with modified star balance test, jump parameter with 5-point jump test, and power parameter with maximum shot distance test.

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.
Interventional

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.
30

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

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

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Büyükçekmece
      • Istanbul, Büyükçekmece, Turkey (Türkiye), 34537
        • Istanbulspor Ömer Sarıalioglu Football Team Facilitu

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • To be a professional football player between the ages of 18-35.
  • Not having a history of ligament, joint, bone, muscle or tendon injury that requires at least 2 months away from the field in the last 6 months.
  • Not having an active disability.
  • To have verbal and written communication skills who accept to participate in the study voluntarily and to perform exercise applications.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of an active disability
  • Having a history of ligament, joint, bone, muscle or tendon injury that requires at least 2 months away from the field in the last 6 months.
  • Vestibular or disconnected vision problems
  • History of cancer
  • Illiteracy
  • Mental and cognitive disorders that may affect communication

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

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Experimental: FUNBALL Intervention Arm
Other: FUNBALL Prevention Program
The FUNBALL Prevention Program is an evidence-based injury prevention exercise program described in the literature. The program was developed by Obertinca et al. and has been shown to reduce thigh muscle injury incidence by approximately 38% in football players. In the present study, the FUNBALL program is implemented as a structured training intervention aimed at reducing hamstring injury risk.

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
Number of Participants Classified as High Hamstring Injury Risk by OpenPose-Based Biomechanical Analysis
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and post-intervention (Week 12)
Outcome measure: Number of participants classified as high hamstring injury risk. Assessment tool: OpenPose-based biomechanical motion analysis of a 30-meter sprint. Classification is based on hip flexion angle, knee extension angle, and terminal swing phase mechanics. Unit of measure: Number of participants classified as high risk.
Baseline (Day 0) and post-intervention (Week 12)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
505 COD Agility Test
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and post-intervention (Week 12)
The 505 Change of Direction (COD) test is a widely used field-based assessment designed to evaluate an athlete's ability to decelerate, rapidly change direction, and re-accelerate over a short distance. The players are going to sprint forward 10 m, perform a 180-degree turn off a designated foot at the 5-m mark, and sprint back as quickly as possible, with total time is going to record using electronic timing gates or a stopwatch.
Baseline (Day 0) and post-intervention (Week 12)
Number of Players With Elevated Hamstring Injury Risk During Sprint Testing
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and post-intervention (Week 12)
The primary outcome will be the number of players identified with elevated hamstring injury risk during a 30-m sprint test, assessed using an artificial intelligence-based movement analysis.
Baseline (Day 0) and post-intervention (Week 12)
N-Back Task Accuracy (%)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 12)
Working memory performance assessed using a computerized N-Back task and reported as percentage accuracy (%).
Baseline (Day 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 12)
Digit Span Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Post Intervention (Week 12)
Total number of correctly recalled digits during a computerized Digit Span task.
Baseline (Day 0) and Post Intervention (Week 12)
Composite Reach Distance in Modified Star Excursion Balance Test
Time Frame: Baseline ( Day 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 12)
Composite normalized reach distance during the Modified Star Excursion Balance Test.
Baseline ( Day 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 12)
Horizontal Distance in Multiple Five Bounds Test
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 12)
Horizontal distance achieved during the Multiple Five Bounds Test assessing horizontal power.
Baseline (Day 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 12)
Maximal Soccer Ball Kicking Distance
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 12)
Maximum horizontal distance of a soccer ball following a maximal instep kick.
Baseline (Day 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 12)
Stroop Reaction Time
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Week 12
Mean reaction time during incongruent trials of a computerized Stroop task.
Baseline (Day 0) and Week 12

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.
Yeditepe University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Elif Tuğçe t Çil Sertöz, Asst. Prof. Dr., Yeditepe 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.
February 1, 2026

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.
April 25, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
April 25, 2026

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).
December 29, 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 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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 16, 2026

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 10, 2026

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, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • Yeditepe U1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Time Frame

January 2026-January 2027

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • CSR

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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