External vs Combined Focus Effects on Landing in Female Athletes

Conditions

• Injury, Knee
• Valgus Deformity, Not Elsewhere Classified, Knee

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

FEMALE

Age

18 Years - 30 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Single-Leg Drop Vertical Jump — OTHER
  Single-Leg Drop Vertical Jump test will be performed with the dynamic knee valgus leg.
• Combined Focus of Attention Instruction — OTHER
  \- Combined focus group: "When you land, keep your knee over your toes while directing your knee toward the cone."
• External Focus of Attention Instruction — OTHER
  \- External focus group: "When you land, direct your movement toward the cone placed on your side."
• No instruction — OTHER
  Control group: No specific instructions.

Study Details

Female athletes are at higher risk of knee injuries, particularly non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, often caused by dynamic knee valgus during landing. Proper landing techniques and neuromuscular training are crucial for injury prevention. Attentional focus strategies, such as external focus (EF) and internal focus (IF), can influence movement patterns, muscle activation, and skill transfer during landing tasks. EF generally promotes safer and more controlled landings, while IF offers certain kinematic benefits. However, real-world sports often require a combination of attentional strategies, and the effects of combined EF + IF instructions on landing mechanics and muscle activation have not been fully studied. This study will investigate the effects of EF and combined attentional focus instructions on lower extremity and trunk movement, muscle activation, and skill transfer in young female athletes with asymptomatic dynamic knee valgus. The investigators aim to determine whether combined attentional focus training provides greater improvements in landing mechanics, muscle activation, and skill transfer than EF training alone.

Key Dates

Start date

Feb 17, 2026

Status verified

Apr 2026

Primary completion

May 31, 2026

Completion

May 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

36 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Combined Focus of Attention Group (CFAG)
  After participants meet the inclusion criteria are randomized and assigned to the combined attentional focus group. They will perform training blocks consisting of 5 repetitions and 2 sets of single-leg drop jump landings before and after the evaluations. During the jumps, instructions will focus on combined attentional focus and will be repeated for each jump. A 1-minute rest period will be provided between training blocks.
• Experimental: External Focus o Attention Group (EFAG)
  After participants meet the inclusion criteria are randomized and assigned to the external attentional focus group. They will perform training blocks consisting of 5 repetitions and 2 sets of single-leg drop jump landings before and after the evaluations. During the jumps, instructions will focus on external attentional focus and will be repeated for each jump. A 1-minute rest period will be provided between training blocks.
• Active Comparator: Control Group
  After participants meet the inclusion criteria are randomized and assigned to the control group. They will perform training blocks consisting of 5 repetitions and 2 sets of single-leg drop jump landings before and after the intervention. During the jumps, no instructions will be given. A 1-minute rest period will be provided between training blocks.

Primary Outcome Measure

3D motion analyses [ Time Frame: baseline, immediately after the intervention, one week after the baseline ]

Central Contacts

• Pelin Pişirici, PT, PhD
  05055016076
  [email protected]
• Berkay Eren Pehlinaoglu, PT, PhD
  +902123819154
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Long Beach, CA