Abstract
Training programs for prevention and rehabilitation of injuries often take place in controlled settings which is not reflective of the complex sporting environment. Adding cognitive challenge to training programs may be more representative; however, the effectiveness of neuromuscular-cognitive interventions in healthy, physically active young adults has yet to be assessed and critically appraised. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of neuromuscular-cognitive interventions using cognitive, neuromuscular, or neuromuscular-cognitive outcomes. This is a systematic review. Literature searches of eight databases were performed identifying 10 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The study quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. The study results are presented as between- and within-group differences for the three outcome measure categories. There was conflicting evidence that the training group was superior to controls for cognitive and neuromuscular between-group outcomes, though neuromuscular-cognitive outcomes resulted in moderate evidence that there was improvement in the training group. For within-group comparisons, there was moderate evidence that there were improvements following the intervention for all three outcome categories, though effect sizes for neuromuscular and cognitive outcomes were primarily weak while effect sizes for neuromuscular-cognitive outcomes were strong. Neuromuscular-cognitive outcomes resulted in the strongest effect following the neuromuscular-cognitive training programs; however, more research is necessary using outcome measures that differ from the method of training. Due to the wide variety in outcome measures, it is challenging to compare intervention effects across studies; therefore, future research is needed to determine what outcomes are most appropriate.