A commentary on real-time biofeedback to augment neuromuscular training for ACL injury prevention in adolescent athletes

Anterior cruciate ligament injury and the associated long-term sequelae,such as immediate reductions in physical inactivity,increased adiposity and increased risk of osteoarthritis through-out adulthood,are a major health concern for adolescent ath-letes. current interventions for injury prevention may have limited effectiveness,are susceptible to issues of compliance and have not achieved the widespread acceptance necessary to promote full adoption. neuromuscular training (nmt) is a well-established training intervention introduced to affect change in modifiable biomechanical risk factors to reduce the risk of injury in these athletes. despite moderate success,neuromuscu-lar training is still limited by its reliance on subjective feedback and after the fact (i.e.,offline) objective feedback techniques. the purpose of this commentary is to discuss technological tools that could be used to enhance and objectify targeted biofeedback interventions to complement nmt. electromyography,force plates,motion sensors,and camera-based motion capture sys-tems are innovative tools that may have realistic feasibility for integration as biofeedback into nmt programs to improve training outcomes. improved functional deficit identification and corrective analysis may further improve and optimize athletic performance,and decrease the risk of sports-related injury dur-ing sport performance. © 2014,journal of sports science and medicine.