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THE EFFECT OF PREHABILITATION, TARGETING PERSONALIZED BIOMECHANICAL DEFICIENCIES, ON FEMALE SWIM ATHLETES’ FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY

Abstract

An athlete’s predisposition to injury is increased when their biomechanical function under sport specific, high load of tasks, is inefficient. Inefficient biomechanical function can be corrected by identifying and retraining neuromotor pathways via prehabilitation. Competitive swim athletes are at the highest risk of injury due to needing to overcome multiple interactive resistant forces under an extremely high training load. Swimmers are at a disadvantage due to limited technology available to identify biomechanical deficiencies. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a biomechanically based personalized prehabilitation program on the functional stability of female swimmers out of the water with force output, stability measures, and perception of stress under load as well as in the water with technical consistencies, swim performance, and indicators for mechanisms of injury. METHODS: Nine female division II NCAA swim athletes completed a test of four force plate (FP) protocols, three movement analysis videos on land, and a workload and perception of injury survey (AWPI). Six 25-yard velocity performance measures and six 25-yard technique performance measures were taken with inertial measurement units (IMUs). The participants were divided into two testing groups: control (CON, n=5) and intervention (INT, n=4). The INT group completed a personalized ten-week prehabilitation program, developed based on their movement analyses. Means of force production, AWPI scores, key mechanical indicator (KMI) scores, velocity measures, and positive/negative peak values of angular rotation and x axis acceleration measures were evaluated between pre and post 10-week intervention (t-test). Means for in-water results were compared between different conditions (speed cues: cruise, fast) (swim condition: kick, swim) pre and post (ANOVA) (=0.01). RESULTS: Baseline functionality scores significantly decreased within the CON group (p=0.083) while they improved without statistical significance within the INT group (p=0.382). Statistical significance was not reached for most variables but did warrant magnitude- based inferences that proved significant true-value effects of the prehabilitation program on reducing lateral inconsistencies, improving perception of workload, and functional efficiency of land tasks. CONCLUSION: The implementation of a prehabilitation program designed from movement analysis was able to improve biomechanical safety and stability for movements on land and reduce any regression of such factors under high training loads. Participants reported improved confidence and awareness of areas targeted in their program both during on land exercises and in water training. IMU data was able to be defined in high order behavioral parameters and used to determine technical cues indicating increased risk for injury. An implemented prehabilitation program was able to provide evidence for correcting lateral inconsistencies and reduce risk for injury within sport specific performance for swimmers.

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