Effectiveness of Warm-Up Routine on the Ankle Injuries Prevention in Young Female Basketball Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial

28 young, female basketball players were randomized to receive a 10 week experimental pre-training warm-up program focusing on ankle mobility, core stability training and balance training, or a standard warm-up program involving walking ball-handling and core stability training. The primary outcome of interest was the center of pressure displacement and postural sway during the single-limb stance test. Secondary outcomes of interest included the dorsiflexion long test. Results revealed significant improvement in ankle dorsiflexion from baseline in both ankles, and a significantly lower center of pressure displacement from baseline in the experimental group. The control group did not display any significant improvements in ankle dorsiflexion from baseline, and displayed significant increases in center of pressure displacement as well as surface area on the postural sway test from baseline. All outcomes were not statistically significantly different between groups.