Clinical Research Directory

Influence of Core Training on Fatigue, Balance and Performance in Adolescent Football Players

Background: Adolescent football players are exposed to high physical and psychological demands due to intensive training, frequent matches, travel, and limited recovery time. These factors can lead to early fatigue, reduced balance, and lower technical performance, all of which may increase the risk of non-contact injuries. The muscles of the trunk (core muscles) help stabilize the spine and pelvis, transfer forces between the upper and lower limbs, and maintain postural control during sport-specific movements. Weak core stability has been linked to poorer balance, reduced fatigue resistance, and suboptimal performance. Although core training is widely used in sports, there is limited evidence on its combined effects on fatigue, balance, and football-specific performance in adolescent players. Objectives: This randomized controlled trial aims to examine whether an 8-week core training program can improve fatigue resistance, balance, and football performance in adolescent football players compared with usual training alone. Methods: This is a pre-post, parallel-group randomized controlled trial conducted at Wadi Degla Football Club. Eligible participants are male adolescent football players aged 14-18 years from the 2005, 2006, and 2007 teams, who train regularly (at least 6 hours per week), have a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m², and have been free from lower-limb injury or surgery for at least 6 months. Players with recent major lower-limb injuries, surgery, or irregular training will be excluded. Participants will be randomly allocated into two groups using computer-generated random numbers: (1) a core-training group, which receives an 8-week structured core exercise program in addition to their usual football training, and (2) a control group, which continues usual football training without additional core exercises. Both groups will be assessed before and after the intervention period. Outcome measures will include fatigue-related performance, static and/or dynamic balance, and football-specific performance tests. Potential Benefits and Risks: The study may help clarify whether adding core training to routine football practice can enhance fatigue resistance, balance, and functional performance in adolescent football players and potentially reduce injury risk. The exercises are commonly used in sports settings and are considered low risk for healthy athletes; no significant risks beyond normal football training are anticipated. Participation is voluntary, and players may withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences for their team status or medical care.

Life-Style Medicine for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Older People

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the clinical effectiveness of lifestyle medicine in reducing chronic musculoskeletal pain in older adults, as measured by pain intensity, pain interference, self-management efficacy, stress level, sleep quality, healthier diet, better quality of life, and cost-effectiveness, compared to a waitlist control group. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or the waitlist group. The intervention group will meet the health coach face-to-face for four sessions to negotiate and set personalized health goals. The waitlist control group will continue to receive usual care without any additional intervention for 24 weeks. Both groups will complete three assessments: at the start of the study, one month after the intervention, and three months after the intervention. The waitlist control group will be offered the same intervention after completing the study.

PPP Versus Corticosteroid for Thigh Muscle Injuries

The purpose of this study is to compare the number of days it takes for a sport participant to return to play between ultrasound guided intramuscular corticosteroid injections and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) injections for thigh muscle injuries.

SmaRTWork - a Decision Support System to Promote Return to Work Among People Sick-listed With Musculoskeletal Disorders

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of an intervention, SmaRTWork, on return to work compared to usual care for individuals who are sick-listed due to musculoskeletal disorders. Potential participants are individuals of working age (20-59 years) sick-listed due to a musculoskeletal disorder (neck pain, low back pain, or widespread pain) for up to 12 weeks living in Norway. The primary outcome will be time to sustainable return to work. We will also evaluate the effect on other work outcomes and health outcomes. We will also interview participants and stakeholders about their experience with the intervention.

Are We Providing Timely Access to Musculoskeletal Outpatient Therapy Services? an Exploratory Study

Waiting times for NHS services are of growing public interest. This is because accessing some services is getting more difficult, and we know that longer waits can result in negative impacts for those waiting. People in Wales waiting for care for their musculoskeletal problems are deemed to be cared for in good time if they get an appointment in less than 14 weeks. This target has been set by Welsh Government, for everyone who waits, no matter what condition they are waiting with and how that condition is affecting them. We know that impact of wait for people with MSK problems can vary, from complete recovery, to worsening of their pain and function. The impact experienced seems to be influenced by factors such as their age and their mental health statusz\\. This suggests that setting one target for all may not be the right thing to do. However, we don't yet know whether waiting over 14 weeks has a big effect on impact. We also don't know about the lived experience of those waiting, while they wait, despite knowing that learning this is vital to informing change. We plan to study the impact of waiting for these services by asking those waiting to complete a survey that measures the impact of their msk problem, at the start and end of their wait, and then understanding how the scores correlate with length of time waited. We will also ask some of these people to document their experience as they wait. We hope that this will provide an understanding of how effective the current target is at measuring access to these services, and whether we need to think differently. People will be able to complete this work in their own home.

ROHKEA: Virtual Reality Therapy 12-week Programme for Chronic Pain

One in four people experience low back pain. 20% of adults suffer with chronic pain, with less than 1% having access to pain management services. Torbay has the highest under 75 years mortality rate in the South West, UK, and chronic pain can account for an increase in mortality by 10 years. Pain Management is seen as a luxury good, and scalable solutions are needed. Using Virtual Reality therapies in the patient's own home, will provide a therapeutic bridge to assist their transition back into richer, and more meaningful lives, despite pain. Virtual reality therapy can offer a 'dress-rehearsal' - to practise Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and movement skills, to support patients to have the courage to leave their homes and step into 'real-life'. It is also of benefit as it fits in with the participants who have other commitments eg work, looking after a relative or other dependents, school run, etc which makes it impossible to access standard treatment as usual. We aim to explore the experiences of 6 patients during their journey through a 12-week pain management programme delivered using Virtual reality and facilitated by a semi-automated mentoring device (SAMI). An Interpretative Phemenological Analysis design will be utilised using semi-structured interviews. The verbatim transcripts of those interviews will be used as the data. Participants will be asked to keep a rolling diary of their experience across the 12-week programme - and to re-read this prior to the interview at the end. Participants will be recruited via the clinical pain rehabilitation team. They will complete a telephone triage and a VR screening tool. Participants will be interviewed 1-2 weeks post completing the programme. The session will be recorded and a transcript generated. Participant characteristics and chronicity of pain will be noted. Themes will be generated from the transcripts, and connections will be sought.