INTRODUCTION

Groin pain is a common problem in athletes mostly affecting those who participate in activities such as kicking, repeated running, and sudden change in direction. It comprises of 2% to 5% of the sports injuries. In this adductor-related groin pain (ARGP) is the most common groin problem in multi-directional sports. The adductor longus muscle tendon complex is often involved in acute and gradual-onset injuries such as at the myotendinous junction or the musculotendinous insertion at the pubic bone.

OPEN KINETIC CHAIN EXERCISES : Open kinetic chain (OKC) exercises involve isolated movements around a single joint, often without any weights. They target the free-moving end of the limb, called the distal segment and resistance is also applied here. An example of this is when resistance is applied to the ankle while the seated knee is extended. These exercises activate muscles in a chain, starting from the anchor point (proximal) towards the moving end (distal), which can help improve the ability to generate quick bursts of speed and power.

 CLOSE KINETIC CHAIN EXERCISES : Close kinetic chain generally support the weight. Unlike Open kinetic chain exercises, some joints have movement, but none are completely free to move. Both the distal and proximal joints are fixed and resistance is applied. Resistance can be applied to both the proximal and distal segments. An example of this is a squat. These exercises provide early stability of the proximal joint.

STRETCHING : Stretching is a general term used to describe any therapeutic exercises designed to increase soft tissue extensibility that is aimed to improve flexibility and Range of motion by elongating or lengthening structures which are shortened and have become hypomobile.

NEED FOR STUDY :

Adductor-related groin pain (ARGP) is the most common groin problem in multi-directional team sports. Defined as a musculotendinous junction injury with pain on adductor tendon or on palpation of tendinous attachment to the pubic bone.

In this study, an effort will be made to find out the effectiveness of the Open kinetic chain Exercises and Close Kinetic Chain Exercises with common use of stretching to reduce pain and improve functional abilities in football player with adductor groin pain.

Though there is limited documented research comparing the two approaches with common use of Stretching in football players. Therefore, a study comparing the efficacy of the two approaches with stretching would be valuable in determining the optimal rehabilitation for patients with adductor groin pain.

OBJECTIVE OF RESEARCH:

 1. To evaluate the effectiveness of Open Kinetic Chain Exercises with Stretching in reducing pain and improving functional abilities in football players with adductor groin pain.

2. To evaluate the effectiveness of Close Kinetic Chain Exercises with Stretching in reducing pain and improving functional abilities in football players with adductor groin pain.

 3. To compare the effectiveness of Open Kinetic Chain Exercise Versus Close Kinetic Chain Exercises with common use of Stretching in football players with Adductor Groin Pain.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

 NULL HYPOTHESIS (H0):

 There will be no significant difference between the effectiveness of Open Kinetic Chain Exercises Versus Close Kinetic Chain Exercises with common use of Stretching in football players with Adductor Groin Pain.

 ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS (H1):

 There will be significant difference between the effectiveness of Open Kinetic Chain Exercises Versus Close Kinetic Chain Exercises with common use of Stretching in football players with Adductor Groin Pain.

 Expected outcome:

 Both the groups are expected to show improvement after five weeks of intervention for adductor groin pain in football players. However, whether they are statistically significant and if there will be any difference between the two interventions remains to be seen.