Knowledge Translation Intervention for ACL Injury Prevention Program in Youth Soccer

The Effects of a Knowledge Translation Intervention With an ACL Prevention Program on Implementation, Injury Rates, and Performance in Youth Soccer Players

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries of the knee are common in youth soccer players, and show an even higher prevalence in female soccer players. Clinical practice guidelines recommend ACL injury prevention programs (ACL-IPP) to reduce injury risk, yet implementation in amateur youth soccer is low, reducing actual real-world effectiveness. This trial is a pragmatic effectiveness trial for ACL injury prevention for amateur youth soccer players, using a knowledge translation intervention with the Knowledge-to-Action Framework.

ACL injury prevention programs (ACL-IPP) are exercise programs recommended by clinical practice guidelines that have been shown to reduce the risk of an ACL injury. However, implementation of these programs is low, which reduces the real-world effectiveness of these programs. This project will assess a knowledge translation intervention with youth soccer programs for implementation of ACL-IPPs utilizing the Knowledge-to-Action Framework. The main educational intervention will be a knowledge translation (KT) intervention between the researchers, and coaches/players of youth soccer programs within the state of Michigan. Specifics of the knowledge translation intervention will or may include focus groups, surveys, in-person training, video handouts, and paper handouts. This will be compared to coaches/teams that are offered a handout that describes an evidence-based ACL-IPP.

The group participating in the KT intervention program will participate in focus groups, individual meetings, and receive videos, informational handouts and on-field training from the researchers. The researchers and participants will work together to determine barriers and facilitators towards implementation of an ACL-IPP, and create an ACL-IPP that follows established clinical practice guidelines and is individualized to the local contextual needs.

The KT intervention utilizes the communications between the teams and the researchers to promote implementation of the ACL-IPPs. The meetings will provide opportunities for mutually beneficial learning from the researchers, and feedback from the coaches on how to best implement strategies through local barriers in order to facilitate necessary changes to promote ACL-IPP usage while adhering to clinical practice guideline recommendations.

Number of reported injuries to the foot, ankle, knee, and hip which cause a player to miss time with team

Inclusion Criteria: Amateur youth soccer organizations within southern Michigan. Exclusion Criteria: Players above the age of 19 or below the age of 14 Teams that have dedicated medical staffing