Eight-week Sports Injury Prevention Program

Effects of an 8-Week Injury Prevention Program on Lower Limb Performance in Female Athletes: Quasi-Experimental Evidence

This study aims to find out whether an 8-week sports injury prevention program can improve lower-body performance-such as power, agility, and balance-among female college athletes in Saudi Arabia.

Sports participation has increased among women in Saudi Arabia, but many injury-prevention programs were originally designed for male athletes and may not meet the specific needs of females. This study will help determine whether a tailored program can reduce injury risks and improve athletic performance.

Female athletes aged 18-35 years who have been training and competing for at least one year can participate. Athletes with recent injuries, pregnancy, or chronic medical conditions that could affect performance will not be included.

Participants will complete tests before and after the program, including jumping, balance, and agility assessments. The prevention program includes warm-up exercises, stretching, strengthening, jumping drills, balance work, and agility training.

By comparing results before and after the program, the study will show whether this type of training can help female athletes stay safer and perform better.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Health Adult Subjects
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: 8-Week Sports Injury Prevention Program

Detailed Description

This study will evaluate whether an 8-week sports injury prevention program can improve injury-related knowledge and lower-body performance in female college athletes. Sports participation among women in Saudi Arabia has increased in recent years, but female athletes often use injury-prevention programs originally designed for men. Because women have different physical and biomechanical characteristics, they may face a higher risk of sports injuries. This study aims to address this gap by testing a program tailored to their needs.

Participants will attend supervised injury-prevention sessions for eight weeks. Each session includes:

Warm-up drills (jogging, shuttle runs, backward running)

Stretching for major lower-body muscles

Strength training such as lunges and hamstring exercises

Plyometric drills (jumping and bounding)

Balance exercises on one leg

Agility drills such as directional running

Cool-down stretching and core exercises

This type of program is commonly used to reduce lower-limb injuries by improving strength, stability, coordination, and movement control.

How participation will be assessed

Before starting the program and again after the eight weeks, participants will complete several tests that measure:

Jumping power

Agility during multi-directional movement

Balance while reaching in different directions

These tests are widely used in sports medicine and have high reliability. They help identify injury risk and measure improvements in physical performance.

Why this study is important

The results will show whether a structured injury-prevention program can help female athletes:

Improve movement quality

Enhance lower-body strength, balance, and agility

Increase awareness of sports-injury risks

Potentially reduce the likelihood of future injuries

This research may support the development of safer and more effective training strategies for female athletes in Saudi Arabia as sports opportunities continue to expand.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Monira Aldhahi, Phd; Phone Number: +966506215406; Email: mialdhahi@pnu.edu.sa

Study Locations

• Saudi Arabia
  • Riyadh Region
    • Riyadh, Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia, 12341
      • Recruiting
      • PNU- Students gym
      • Contact: Monira Aldhahi; Phone Number: 0506215406; Email: mialdhahi@pnu.edu.sa

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female athletes aged 18-35 years
• Actively participating in organized sports in Saudi Arabia
• Minimum of one year of continuous experience in their sport
• Currently engaged in regular training and/or competition
• Able to perform physical activity safely as confirmed by self-report
• Willing to provide informed consent and complete all study assessments

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any recent injury within the past six months that limits performance
• Pregnancy at the time of enrollment
• Diagnosis of a chronic medical condition that may affect performance (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension)
• Any condition that could interfere with safe participation in physical testing or training
• Refusal or inability to provide informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Exercise group; Participants will attend supervised injury-prevention sessions for eight weeks. Each session includes: Warm-up drills (jogging, shuttle runs, backward running) Stretching for major lower-body muscles Strength training such as lunges and hamstring exercises Plyometric drills (jumping and bounding) Balance exercises on one leg Agility drills such as directional running Cool-down stretching and core exercises This type of program is commonly used to reduce lower-limb injuries by improving strength, stability, coordination, and movement control.

Behavioral: 8-Week Sports Injury Prevention Program; A structured 8-week injury prevention exercise program designed to improve lower-extremity strength, balance, agility, and movement control in female college athletes. Each supervised session includes: Warm-up: jogging, shuttle runs, backward running Stretching: calf, quadriceps, and hamstring stretches Strengthening: walking lunges, Russian hamstring exercise, single-leg toe raises Plyometrics: lateral, forward, and backward jumps; zigzag shuffle; bounding drills Balance training: single-leg stance with chest pass, forward bend, and figure-of-eight reach Agility drills: multidirectional shuttle runs, diagonal runs, bounding runs Cool-down: bridging, abdominal crunches, knee-to-chest stretches, and seated butterfly stretch Sessions follow a standardized protocol with prescribed repetitions, sets, or time durations for each component. The goal of the intervention is to enhance athletic performance and reduce the risk of lower-extremity sports injuries.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Lower-Extremity Functional Performance	Description: Assessed using the Lower Extremity Functional Test (LEFT), which evaluates multidirectional agility through eight standardized tasks (forward run, backward run, side shuffle, carioca, figure-8 run, 45° cuts, 90° cuts, and countermovement jump). Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks (post-intervention). Outcome Metric: Total completion time (seconds). Lower times indicate better performance.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Change in Lower-Body Explosive Power	Description: Measured using the Countermovement Jump (CMJ) and Standing Long Jump (SLJ) tests, both widely validated for assessing lower-limb power. Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks. Outcome Metric: CMJ height (cm) and SLJ distance (cm).	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Change in Dynamic Balance	Description: Evaluated using the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions. Outcome Metric: Max reach distance (cm), normalized to leg length.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 16, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 17, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 26, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 26, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 8, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Injury prevention program
• Other Study ID Numbers: PNU-7

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No