title: Rhythmic stabilization versus conventional passive stretching to prevent injuries in indoor soccer athletes: a controlled clinical trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Indoor soccer is a sport that exposes the athletes to muscle and joint lesions. The effect of rhythmic stabilization (RS) technique to prevent these kinds of lesions in indoor soccer athletes is largely unknown and its use in athletes is controversial. Nevertheless, empiric evidence suggests that RS might be effective to prevent lesions in indoor soccer athletes. A controlled clinical trial of efficacy was performed to test this hypothesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Athletes were randomly divided into two groups: a RS group (7 athletes) and passive stretching (PS) group (7 athletes). At the beginning and at the end of the experiment (after four months) all athletes were subjected to clinical evaluation. Assessments were performed by subjective pain intensity, clinical evaluation and measurements of the range of maximal lower limb flexion movement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Athletes of both groups had lower limb injuries during the four months. The athletes submitted to RS technique had fewer injuries than those subjected to the PS technique although the difference was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although no significant difference was found between RS and PS, a trend suggests RS may be more effective than PS to prevent muscular and ankle joint lesions in indoor soccer athletes, but more research is needed.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Human Movement Science, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bello
authors.forename: Laura Beatriz
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Mesiano Maifrino
authors.forename: Eliane F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Gama
authors.forename: Romeu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodrigues de Souza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries* / Q000502:physiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult