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

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

• Ages 18 to 35 years
• All sexes
• No healthy volunteers
• Adult

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

About this study

Conditions

Hamstring Muscle Strain

Being tested

Experimental: Criteria based, Active comparator: Time based rehabilitation

Keywords

ankle sprain, reinjury, reactive strength

Medical subject headings

Ankle Injuries, Reinjuries

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

• Experimental: Criteria basedOther

  • 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 rehabilitationOther

  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.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

1. Hop battery test (single, triple, and crossover hop) including limb symmetry index (LSI)

   A tool to assess lower-limb strength, power, symmetry and functional performance in athletes post-injury; demonstrates good test-retest reliability (ICC ≈ 0.85-0.97) and valid discriminatory ability, though its capacity to predict re-injury remains inconsistent.

   Depends on individual hop test; usually reported as distance. Higher distance generally indicates better performance

   Measured: At baseline, 0 weeks 6 weeks post-intervention

2. Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT)

   Evaluates dynamic balance and postural control; high reliability (ICC 0.85-0.91) and validated in athletes.

   no fixed universal minimum/maximum; reach distance is recorded in cm and may be normalized to limb length as a percentage Higher reach distance/normalized score = better dynamic postural balance

   Measured: At Baseline After 6 weeks

3. Anterior Cruciate Ligament -RSI (Return to Sport after Injury Scale)

   Measures psychological readiness and fear of re-injury; strong internal consistency (α = 0.94) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.90) 0-100 Higher score = greater psychological readiness to return to sport

   Measured: At baseline After 6 weeks of intervention

4. Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK)

   Assesses fear of movement and re-injury; validated in musculoskeletal populations with good internal consistency (α = 0.810.87) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.84-0.90) 17-68 for the 17-item version Higher score = greater fear of movement/reinjury

   Measured: at baseline at 6 weeks post intervention

5. Landing Error Scoring System (LESS)

   The LESS is a movement screen used to identify specific movement patterns of the lower extremities that may increase an individual's risk for noncontact ACL injury.

   0-17 Lower score = better landing technique; higher score = more landing errors

   Measured: at baseline at 6 weeks post intervention

6. Reactive Strength Index (RSI)

   Measures reactive strength and stretch-shortening cycle efficiency; demonstrates good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.87) in athletes. No fixed minimum/maximum; calculated as jump height ÷ ground contact time Higher value = better reactive strength/stretch-shortening-cycle performance

   Measured: at baseline 6 weeks post intervention

7. One-Repetition Maximum (1RM)

   This tool is used to assess the strength of the athlete objectively. No universal fixed minimum/maximum; expressed as the maximum load lifted once, usually in kg Higher value = greater muscular strength

   Measured: at baseline 6 weeks post intervention

8. Y-Balance Test (YBT)

   The Y Balance Test is a functional screening tool used to assess dynamic balance, core stability, and injury risk in athletes and patients Composite score: 0-100%; individual reach distances are also recorded Higher score = better dynamic balance

   Measured: at baseline 6 weeks post intervention

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

1. First posted11 Sep 2026
2. Study start25 Sep 2026
3. Primary completion25 Dec 2026 (estimated)
4. Study completion5 Jan 2027 (estimated)

Resources

• Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
• Other trials for Hamstring Muscle StrainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
• More trials run by Riphah International UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
• What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.