Big Toe Muscles Strengthening Exercises With and Without Neuromuscular Training Among Runners

May 15, 2025 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of Big Toe Muscles Strengthening Exercises With and Without Neuromuscular Training on Speed, Agility and Power Among Runners

The big toe in relation to the other toes is responsible for a much greater percentage of foot and body stabilization as well as forward propulsion. Big toe muscles play a very significant role in the toe off phase during the locomotion, increasing the final push off from the ground during activities like walking, running and jumping. Also have a role in maintaining medial arch of the foot. Marked evidence shows that neuromuscular training programs are effective for improving measures of performance. Comprehensive neuromuscular training programs designed for young women may significantly increase power, strength, and neuromuscular control. So, this study will determine the effects of big toe muscles strengthening exercises with and without neuromuscular training among runners.

This study will be a randomized clinical trial conducted at Pakistan sports board and coaching center Lahore and runners club in Lahore. Only female runners aged between 18-30 years having at least 1 year experience will be recruited in study. The participants will be randomly divided by simple random sampling into two groups. One group will perform the big toe muscles strengthening exercises with neuromuscular training and the other group will perform the big toe muscles strengthening exercises without neuromuscular training. The effects of Strengthening exercises of both the groups will be accessed on speed, power and agility of runners. Toe strength will be accessed by toe-hip dynamometer, Speed by 30 m sprint test, power by vertical jump, and agility by T-drill agility test at the start, and at the end of study duration. Statistical analysis will be performed using SPSS-26 providing a comprehensive approach to investigate the effects of bio toe muscles strength with and without neuromuscular training on speed, agility and power among runners.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The main objective of the study is to apply the big toe muscles strengthening exercises with and without neuromuscular training and to compare the results to identify their influence on speed, agility and power among runners.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

32

Phase

  • 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

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
      • Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, 54000
        • Pakistan sports board

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18-30 years.
  • Only female participants.
  • Middle distance runners with at least 1 year experience.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants with current or recent (< 6 months) lower extremity musculoskeletal symptoms, neurological or neuromuscular conditions, severe foot deformities (i.e. club foot or deformities that hinders the activities of daily living).
  • Participants with history of trauma or surgical treatment of lower extremity or foot within 6 months.
  • Female participants with pregnancy.
  • Systemic illnesses: Diabetes and hypertension etc.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Big toe muscles strengthening exercises
16 Participants will be in experimental group giving them Big toe muscles strengthening exercises protocol along with their normal sports training plan for eight weeks, measuring all values before giving them protocol and after protocol.
Other: Big toe muscles strengthening exercises
16 Participants will be in experimental group giving them Big toe muscles strengthening exercises protocol along with their normal sports training plan for eight weeks, measuring all values before giving them protocol and after protocol
Experimental: Big toe muscles strengthening exercises with neuromuscular training
16 Participants will be in experimental group giving them Big toe muscles strengthening exercises and neuromuscular training protocol along with their normal sports training plan for eight weeks, measuring all values before giving them protocol and after protocol.
Other: Big toe muscles strengthening exercises with neuromuscular training
16 Participants will be in experimental group giving them Big toe muscles strengthening exercises and neuromuscular training protocol along with their normal sports training plan for eight weeks, measuring all values before giving them protocol and after protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
30 M sprint test
Time Frame: 8 weeks
The test involves running a single maximum sprint over 30 meters, with the time recorded. A thorough warm up should be given, including some practice starts and accelerations. Start from a stationary position, with one foot in front of the other. The front foot must be on or behind the starting line. This starting position should be held for 2 seconds prior to starting, and no rocking movements are allowed. The tester should provide hints for maximizing speed (such as keeping low, driving hard with the arms and legs) and encourage them to continue running hard through the finish line. Two trials are allowed, and the best time is recorded to the nearest 2 decimal places. The timing starts from the first movement (if using a stopwatch) or when the timing system is triggered and finishes when the chest crosses the finish line and/or the finishing timing gate is triggered.
8 weeks
T-drill agility test
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Subjects are asked to sprint forwards 10 yards (9.14 m) from the start line to the first cone and touch the tip with their right hand, shuffle 5yards (4.57 m) left to the second cone and touch with their left hand, then shuffle 10 yards (9.14 m) to the right to the third cone and touch with their right, shuffle 5 yards (4.57 m) back left to the middle cone and touch with their left hand before finally run backwards to the start line. Time began upon subjects passing through the timing gates and stopped upon them passing through on return. The test will not be counted if the subject crosses one foot in front of the other while shuffling, fails to touch the base of the cones, or fails to face forward throughout the test. Take the best time of three successful trials.
8 weeks
Vertical jump test
Time Frame: 8 weeks
The athlete stands side on to a wall and reaches up with the hand closest to the wall. Keeping the feet flat on the ground, the point of the fingertips is marked or recorded. This is called the standing reach test. The athlete then stands away from the wall, and leaps vertically as high as possible using both arms and legs to assist in projecting the body upwards. The jumping technique can or cannot use a counter movement. Attempt to touch the wall at the highest point of the jump. The difference in distance between the standing reach height and the jump height is the score. The best of three attempts is recorded.
8 weeks
Toe-Hip Dynamometer
Time Frame: 8 weeks
The Toe-Hip Strength Dynamometer is a novel IFM dynamometer that has been recently developed for clinicians. Using this tool, the test is conducted similarly to the paper-grip test. This dynamometer is similarly made of a plastic card attached to a hanging scale. For the test, individuals press their toes onto the card as hard as possible without toe curl to resist the assessor pulling the card out, and a peak force output is provided once the card slides out. Although it is still difficult to conclusively isolate the IFM, this device has a lower cost and size compared to other methods and may be useful in clinical settings. Furthermore, the tool is designed for the measurement to occur in a closed-chain position, which is the functional position of the foot.
8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Aamir Gul Memon, MS, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

July 30, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

April 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 15, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 15, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

May 23, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 23, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 15, 2025

Last Verified

May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/RCR&AHS/24/0453

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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