{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T22:26:14Z","timestamp":1783463174199,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":13,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783468800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Sports Act. Living"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Lower-limb injuries are common in youth soccer. Neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-ups are used, but the preventive effects across injury types in young players are unclear. This review quantified NMT effectiveness for lower-limb injury prevention in 8\u201318-year-old soccer players. A PRISMA-guided systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted. Four databases were searched up to October 2025 using keywords including soccer\/football, neuromuscular training, balance, proprioception, plyometrics, injury prevention, ACL, ankle sprain, and hamstring strain. English-language RCTs (January 2000-present) in youth soccer comparing NMT with standard warm-up or no intervention were included; adult (&amp;gt;18 years), non-soccer, and non-RCT studies were excluded. The primary outcome was the incidence of all lower-limb injuries; secondary outcomes were knee, ankle, ligament, and muscle injuries. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were pooled using random-effects models with the Hartung\u2013Knapp adjustment for outcomes in which at least two trials reported exposure time; the remaining outcomes were summarised using a structured narrative synthesis. Heterogeneity was assessed with I\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    . Five RCTs (2012\u20132025;\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20096,447) were included. Two outcomes had sufficient exposure data for meta-analysis: NMT was associated with non-significant reductions in all lower-limb injuries (IRR\u2009=\u20090.54, 95% CI 0.20\u20131.45; I\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    \u2009=\u200983.7%) and knee injuries (IRR\u2009=\u20090.86, 95% CI 0.62\u20131.19; I\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    \u2009=\u20090%). For ankle, ligament and muscle injuries only one trial reported exposure time, precluding pooling; in that trial NMT was associated with significantly lower ankle (IRR\u2009=\u20090.59, 95% CI 0.40\u20130.88), ligament (IRR\u2009=\u20090.62, 95% CI 0.43\u20130.90) and muscle (IRR\u2009=\u20090.66, 95% CI 0.47\u20130.93) injury rates, with the remaining trials reporting fewer injuries in the NMT group. NMT warm-ups may reduce ankle injuries in youth soccer, while evidence for overall and knee injury prevention is inconclusive and heterogeneous. Implementation with adherence support is clinically relevant. Future trials should standardize injury definitions, report exposure\/compliance, and evaluate programme dose and components across age and sex groups.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Systematic Review Registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:ext-link>https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/PROSPERO\/view\/CRD420251207720<\/jats:ext-link>\n                      , identifier CRD420251207720\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fspor.2026.1853354","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T22:10:23Z","timestamp":1783462223000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Preventive efficiency of neuromuscular training in reducing lower limb injuries among youth soccer athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Hussain Mohammed","family":"Alkishnawi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Therapy Department, Royal Commission Medical Center","place":["Yanbu, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hamza Mahmoud","family":"Alshater","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ibn Sina National College","place":["Jeddah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eyad A.","family":"Alakkas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery\/Orthopedic Section, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center","place":["Jeddah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nawaf Dhafer","family":"Alshehri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, King Khalid University","place":["Abha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Norah Adel","family":"Alsubaya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Therapy Department, Heraa General Hospital","place":["Makkah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Naser B. A. J.","family":"Alenezi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Jahra Hospital, Ministry of Health","place":["Kuwait City, Kuwait"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdullah Eid","family":"Alatawi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Tabuk University","place":["Tabuk, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmad Basheer","family":"Basheer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science & Technology","place":["Irbid, Jordan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ibrahim Saleh","family":"Allehaimeed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Practice, Qassim Health Cluster, Ministry of Health","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Assad Mohammed","family":"Almaghrabi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University","place":["Jeddah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muhannad","family":"Algarni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University","place":["Jeddah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1714","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14051714","article-title":"Effectiveness of neuromuscular training in preventing lower limb soccer injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"14","author":"Stergiou","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"23259671211005769","DOI":"10.1177\/23259671211005769","article-title":"Neuromuscular training warm-up prevents acute noncontact lower limb injuries in children\u2019s soccer: a cluster randomized controlled trial","volume":"9","author":"Hilska","year":"2021","journal-title":"Orthop J Sports Med"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13134","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph182413134","article-title":"Adherence to an injury prevention warm-up program in children\u2019s soccer\u2014a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial","volume":"18","author":"Hilska","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"974","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2013-092644","article-title":"Superior compliance with a neuromuscular training programme is associated with fewer ACL injuries and fewer acute knee injuries in female adolescent football players: secondary analysis of an RCT","volume":"47","author":"H\u00e4gglund","year":"2013","journal-title":"Br J Sports Med"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/s13018-025-05639-w","article-title":"Injury risk reduction programs including balance training reduce the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"20","author":"Su","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Orthop Surg Res"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"824","DOI":"10.1007\/s00167-009-0901-2","article-title":"A meta-analysis of the effect of neuromuscular training on the prevention of the anterior cruciate ligament injury in female athletes","volume":"18","author":"Yoo","year":"2010","journal-title":"Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"n71","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.n71","article-title":"The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews","volume":"372","author":"Page","year":"2021","journal-title":"Br Med J"},{"key":"B8","volume-title":"PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews","year":"2025"},{"key":"B9","volume-title":"Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. 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