Effects of sportsmetrics training on biomechanical and functional performance outcomes related to ACL injury risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Sport Injuries and Biomechanics, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- 2Monash Exercise Neuroplasticity Research Unit, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- 3Haute-Ecole Arc Santé, Hes-So University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Delémont, 2800 Switzerland
- 4Orthopaedic Surgery Department, Clinic of Domont, Ramsay Healthcare, @Ortholab, Domont, France
- 5Société Française Des Masseurs-Kinésithérapeutes Du Sport Lab, Pierrefitte-Sur-Seine, France
Abstract
Background: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of SportsMetrics training (SMT) on ACL injury-related biomechanical deficits and functional performance outcomes in athletes.
Methods: Literature searches were conducted in four databases from inception to May 10, 2026. The RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools were used to assess the risk of bias, while meta-analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed using CMA 4 software. The GRADE approach was applied to evaluate the quality of evidence. Primary outcomes were dynamic knee valgus (DKV) and the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS). Secondary outcomes included core strength, agility, dynamic balance, speed, and power.
Results: Nine studies (310 athletes, predominantly female) were included. SMT was associated with changes in surrogate biomechanical outcomes, including DKV (SMD: -1.09, p < 0.0001) and LESS (SMD: -1.08, p < 0.0001), as well as functional performance outcomes: agility, dynamic balance, power, and speed. Core strength (SMD: 0.57, p = 0.154) showed non-significant changes.
Conclusions: SMT was associated with improvements in several biomechanical and functional outcomes. Higher-quality RCTs and prospective injury registration outcomes are required to confirm these findings. However, the relationship between improvements in these surrogate outcomes and actual ACL injury reduction remains unestablished.
Trial registration: This study was a priori registered at PROSPERO (CRD420261389110).
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01948-7.
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BibTeX
@article{bafrouei2026effects,
title = {{Effects of sportsmetrics training on biomechanical and functional performance outcomes related to ACL injury risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis}},
author = {Mostafa Jalili Bafrouei and Fatemeh Zahra Maleki Gohar and Seyed Hamed Mousavi and Mohamad Rostami and Florian Forelli},
journal = {BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s13102-026-01948-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01948-7},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of sportsmetrics training on biomechanical and functional performance outcomes related to ACL injury risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis
AU - Mostafa Jalili Bafrouei
AU - Fatemeh Zahra Maleki Gohar
AU - Seyed Hamed Mousavi
AU - Mohamad Rostami
AU - Florian Forelli
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/08
JO - BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation
DO - 10.1186/s13102-026-01948-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01948-7
AB - Background: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of SportsMetrics training (SMT) on ACL injury-related biomechanical deficits and functional performance outcomes in athletes. Methods: Literature searches were conducted in four databases from inception to May 10, 2026. The RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools were used to assess the risk of bias, while meta-analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed using CMA 4 software. The GRADE approach was applied to evaluate the quality of evidence. Primary outcomes were dynamic knee valgus (DKV) and the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS). Secondary outcomes included core strength, agility, dynamic balance, speed, and power. Results: Nine studies (310 athletes, predominantly female) were included. SMT was associated with changes in surrogate biomechanical outcomes, including DKV (SMD: -1.09, p < 0.0001) and LESS (SMD: -1.08, p < 0.0001), as well as functional performance outcomes: agility, dynamic balance, power, and speed. Core strength (SMD: 0.57, p = 0.154) showed non-significant changes. Conclusions: SMT was associated with improvements in several biomechanical and functional outcomes. Higher-quality RCTs and prospective injury registration outcomes are required to confirm these findings. However, the relationship between improvements in these surrogate outcomes and actual ACL injury reduction remains unestablished. Trial registration: This study was a priori registered at PROSPERO (CRD420261389110). Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01948-7.
SN - 2052-1847
ER -