A neurocognitive approach to prevent non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury in football: A scoping review

Background - Non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries (NC-ACLI) are
becoming more common in football due to the involvement of actions such as
cutting, landing, pivoting, changing directions, and jumping that expose
the knee to angular stresses, rotational motions, and anterior translation
force. These risk factors are addressed in the current injury prevention
programs(IPP) but have shown to be less effective in further lowering
NC-ACLI risk. The missing piece in these IPPs is their inability to target
neurocognitive risk factors when a relationship between cognitive
competencies and the mechanism of NC-ACLI is evidenced. This gap serves as
the basis for the review. Purpose – To map the literature that has
investigated the application of neurocognitive training (NCT) for the
prevention of NC-ACLI in footballers. Study Design – Scoping Review
Methods – A broad eligibility criteria was applied through population,
concept, and context framework. Restrictions were applied to language
(English) and age (>11 years), as the incidence rises with age. 39
databases and 4 websites were searched for literature until August 12,
2023. Four studies were included after screening the 144 studies
found.  Each study underwent quality assessment. The data was
extracted and synthesised using data chart. Results – The reviewed studies
provided comprehensive details on components of NCT with methods and
provider of intervention, outcome of NCT application and the cognitive
skills targeted, along with the theoretical explanations for their
outcomes. The limited number of included studies despite broad eligibility
criteria, indicates the emerging nature of research in this domain,
corroborated by recent publication dates of included literature.
Conclusion – This review provides baseline information on NCT in the
prevention of NC-ACLI in football and attempts to guide future research.