Effects Of Criteria Versus Time-Based Rehabilitation On Return To Play In Football Players

Description

This randomized controlled trial compares criteria-based rehabilitation (CBR) with time-based rehabilitation (TBR) for football players aged 18-35 with ACL reconstruction, hamstring strain, or ankle sprain. Both groups receive a six-week supervised rehabilitation program; the progression rules differ between groups.

Interventions

• Experimental: Criteria based (Other)
  * Weeks 1-2: Focus on pain control, ROM restoration, and isometric strengthening (low intensity, 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps). * Weeks 2-4: Closed-chain and eccentric strengthening (moderate intensity, 3 sets of 12-15 reps), balance training, and jogging once LSI ≥ 80%. * Weeks 4-6: Plyometrics, agility, sprinting, and football-specific drills (high intensity, 4-5 sets, 80-85% effort). Participants will only progress or return to play upon meeting the criteria: hop test LSI ≥ 90%, SEBT symmetry, improved ACLRSI,
• Active comparator: Time based rehabilitation (Other)
  Weeks 1-2: Pain reduction and early strengthening (low intensity, 3 sets of 10-12 reps). * Weeks 2-4: General strengthening, proprioception, and jogging (moderate intensity, 3 sets of 12-15 reps). * Weeks 4-6: Plyometrics, agility, sprinting, and football-specific drills (high intensity, 70-85% effort) All participants will be cleared for return to play at the end of Week 6, regardless of whether they have achieved functional or psychological milestones, reflecting a traditional time-driven rehabilitation approach. This design reflects conventional rehabilitation models used in previous comparative studies, in which exercise progression and RTP clearance are determined by elapsed time rather than by functional recovery.

Eligibility criteria

Conditions

Locations

• Mescon Islamabad football academy — Islamabad, Federal, Pakistan
• Mescon Islamabad Football Academy (MIFA) — Islamabad, Pakistan