Sports medicine and the physiology of sports training are fundamental sciences that have significantly influenced the development of training methodologies in physical education. They facilitate the optimization of training loads to align with the body's endurance capabilities and enhance its functional state. Consequently, the elements of training curricula exert considerable stress on various bodily systems, including joints, ligaments, tissues, and muscles, during training sessions and competitions, as well as in instances of sports-related injuries that may arise from physical exertion or contact with equipment or opponents. Unscientific training or the utilization of unsuitable sporting equipment. Football is a team sport that necessitates a high degree of physical fitness and adherence to established rules, which accounts for the potential for player injuries in various body regions, particularly the limbs and torso, affecting joints and muscles and hindering continued participation. Despite significant efforts to implement optimal injury prevention strategies, particularly for muscular injuries, there has been a notable rise in the incidence of such injuries, particularly in the lower limbs, which can lead to pain and impact other body areas if neglected. The imbalance in muscle strength between the quadriceps can result in anterior hip displacement, causing discomfort in the lower dorsal region. To facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of injured players into the stadiums, research is crucial in preventing chronic muscular injuries, such as atrophy and muscle weakness, that may arise from prematurely returning players without completing their rehabilitation programs. This oversight can exacerbate injuries, leading to a state where the player experiences no pain despite the injury evolving into a chronic condition with new structural implications. This is due to the absence of the issue and its significance.

Research Problem

Exercise exerts stress on the joints, ligaments, synovial sacs, tendons, and muscles. Beyond interactions with equipment or adversaries, the prevalence of sports injuries—including muscle contusions, joint dislocations, muscle tears, and tendon injuries—can be attributed to insufficient adherence to scientific training methodologies, erroneous injury diagnoses, and inadequate scientific and technical resources for treatment and rehabilitation. Aquatic therapeutic approaches and rehabilitation activities are among the most efficient strategies of accelerating the recovery of the injured. It aids in the evacuation of hematomas, alleviates internal joint hemorrhaging, rehabilitates muscles and joints to their optimal functionality, and addresses issues of muscular atrophy, weakness, and incapacity to execute their functions. To facilitate the return of injured players to the stadiums, the researcher opted to develop a rehabilitation program incorporating aquatic exercises and various therapeutic modalities to enhance the treatment and recovery of football players. Following the injury characterized by weakness and atrophy of the thigh muscles, the researcher endeavored to rehabilitate the player through an aquatic program. This approach aims to address the imbalance of forces that may arise from neglecting rehabilitation, potentially resulting in chronic acute injuries and prolonged absence from the field.

Research Objectives

• Designing a rehabilitation curriculum using exercises in the aquatic medium to rehabilitate the weakness and atrophy of the thigh muscles in football players

• To identify the effect of the proposed rehabilitation method using exercises in the aquatic medium to rehabilitate the weakness and atrophy of the thigh muscles in football players 

Research Hypotheses

• There are significant differences in the results of the pre-tests compared to the post-tests and in favor of the post-tests in the research sample

• There are significant differences with statistical significance in improving the thigh muscles and rehabilitating the weakness and atrophy of the thigh muscles in the research sample 

Research Areas

• Human Area: A sample of football players under the age of 21 years with weakness and atrophy of the thigh muscles

• Spatial Area: Laboratories, Halls and Swimming Pool, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Basra

• Temporal Area: Period from 16/3/2024 to 16/6/2024

Research Methodology

The researcher employed an experimental method within a single group to assess the practical hypotheses and their validity, as well as to elucidate the causal relationships among the interacting and overlapping factors pertinent to the phenomenon. This method was utilised by the researcher to investigate the problem and uncover the truth [1].

Research Sample 

The researcher's selection of the sample is a critical phase in the research process, as the nature of the study, its hypotheses, and methodologies dictate the implementation steps and the selection of instruments, including the sample, questionnaire, and monopolies. The chosen sample refers to the specific group the researcher intends to use for generalising the findings to a broader population [2]. Consequently, the researcher deliberately selected a sample of twelve football players to identify their injuries. The total number of players from the clubs in Basra Governorate was reduced by six: two were disqualified for failing to adhere to treatment, three were excluded for participating in the reconnaissance experiment, and one was removed due to various injuries requiring rehabilitation. Consequently, the sample size is now six players. The research focused on the injury and its diagnosis, as they belong to a singular homogenous group, without consideration of lengths, weights, or training age.

Devices, Tools and Means used in the Research 

Devices and Tools

• Indoor swimming pool

• Mattress for floating/6

• Rectangular mattress /6

• Round collar that is suitable in the water medium /6

• Balance Scale 

• Stone Standing Platforms 

• Plastic indicators and barriers

• Stainless metal parts

• Height and weight measuring device

• Short wave measuring device

• Ultrasonic device

• Infrared Radiation Device

• 13 The receiver's device to perform a section of the tests

• Japanese-made electric massage machine

• HP computer

• Video camera (Sony)

• Electronic clock

• A tape to measure the thigh circumference of the injured man

Means of Collecting Information

• Arab and foreign sources and references

• Observation and experimentation

• Personal interviews with experienced and specialized people

• The test nomination form and the type of the measured status

• Data registration form, test vocabulary used and information collection

Research Procedures

Exploratory Experience: The researcher executed an exploratory experiment on Monday (25/3/2024) involving three injured individuals, summoned to assess the timing, implement the vocabulary of the prepared rehabilitation curriculum, evaluate the feasibility of its exercises and tests, ascertain the validity of the utilised devices, analyse the performance and response of the assisting team, and address any challenges or obstacles that may arise during the application of the prepared curriculum vocabulary.

Tests and Measurements used in the Research

Measuring the Thigh Circumference of an Injured Man

• Purpose: Measure the circumference of the affected leg

• Tools: A suitable terrace on which the injured person stands

• Description: From standing, the length of the thigh is measured from the large rotator of the upper head of the femur to the lateral edge of the middle of the knee joint" (1-63), then multiply the value of (length×1/3) and the product of one-third of the length of the thigh area, and after determining the area of the lower section, the total circumference of the thigh is measured by measuring tape [3]

Measuring the maximum strength of the thigh muscles

• Purpose: Maximum force measurement

• Instruments: Mulge

• Description: From sitting for a long time on the multigem, bending the knee and holding the side supports of the multigem and pushing the maximum possible weight once by the muscles of the legs [4]

Measuring the Strength of the Muscles of the Front Thighs

• Purpose: Measure the strength of the muscles of the front thighs

• Instruments: Multigem device

• Description: Sitting with the legs lifted from the knee joint and the weight on the lever according to the method set for the test

Measuring the Strength of the Muscles of the Back Thighs

• Purpose: Measure the strength of the muscles of the back thighs

• Instruments: Multigem device

• Description: From procrastination, the heavily-laden lever is lifted from back to top several times [3]

Qualifying Curriculum

The researcher consulted sports medicine specialists, academics, and therapists, reviewing their perspectives. They concurred that rehabilitation exercises conducted in an aquatic environment should not induce pain that hinders test performance, as this adversely affects results. Consequently, the researcher formulated a therapeutic curriculum designed to precede the rehabilitation method, incorporating exercises within the medium to mitigate pain and promote the healing and activity of the injured tissue. This approach aims to enable the laboratory to conduct its exercises effectively and to prevent the injury from deteriorating into a permanent impediment for the athlete's return to competition. The researcher employed therapeutic modalities based on the physicians' recommendations, including infrared rays, shortwave devices, ultrasound devices, cooling techniques, and both electric and manual massage apparatus. The injury was classified as muscle atrophy and weakness, and the five modalities were utilised from the initiation of treatment until the commencement of the rehabilitation program. Their application schedules were established according to the physicians' directives, encompassing the number of sessions and the duration of each rehabilitation unit, with the overall program lasting three months.Commencing Thursday, February 3, 2024, and concluding June 14, 2024, the program consists of two sessions per week, totalling twelve weeks and twenty-four rehabilitation units. Each session will last between thirty to forty minutes, contingent upon the individual's fatigue and pain levels, which will influence the determination of distances, durations, and repetitions. The exercise intensity will range from fifty to ninety percent of the injured individual's capacity. The exercises outlined in An Musculoskeletal endurance and intricate physical attributes [5], along with flexibility and stretching exercises, are crucial for achieving the complete range of motion during exercise performance. Furthermore, utilising body weight levels and engaging in prolonged exercises serve as significant modalities of physical therapy, vital for enhancing the efficiency of an individual's physiological systems and essential for developing muscular strength.

Statistical Methods

The researcher used the statistical package (SPSS) to extract and process the data and statistical results of the research.

View, analyze and discuss the results of the strength of the anterior and posterior femoral muscles, the maximum strength of the thigh muscles and the measurement of the circumference of the affected thigh.

To ascertain the significance of the differences between the pre- and post-tests in the research variables, the researcher employed the T-test for paired samples, as illustrated in Table 1.

Table 1:  The Arithmetic Mean, Standard Deviation and Value of T in the Pre- and Post-Tests of a Sample to Measure the Variables under Study in the Strength of the Anterior and Posterior Femoral Muscles, Maximum Strength, and Measurement of the Circumference of the Affected Thigh

* The tabular value of T is 2.201 below the significance level of 0.05 and the degree of freedom 11

From the results presented in Table 1, we see the value of the arithmetic mean of the variable anterior femoral muscle strength in the pre-test 6.65 and a standard deviation of 2.45, while the arithmetic mean in the post-test was 14.15 with a standard deviation of 4.16, while the calculated value of T was 7.706, which is greater than the tabular value 2.201 with a degree of freedom 11 and below the significance level of 0.05, which indicates that there are significant differences in favor of the post-test as for posterior femoral muscle strength in the test. The tribal was 8.75 with a standard deviation of 2.26, while the arithmetic mean in the post-test was 15.00 with a standard deviation of 3.01, while the calculated value of t was 9.572 which is greater than the tabular value 2.201 and in the maximum strength of the thigh muscles in the pre-test 40.41 with a standard deviation of 6.20, while the arithmetic mean in the post-test was 48.33 with a standard deviation of 5.77, while the calculated value of t was 8.205 which is greater than the tabular value 2.201 and the value of the arithmetic mean was measurement. The circumference of the affected thigh in the pre-test was 45.41 with a standard deviation of 2.82, while the mean of the post-test was 52.17 with a standard deviation of 3.27, while the calculated value of T was 11.165 which is greater than the tabular value 2.201.

Presentation, Analysis and Discussion of the Results of the Strength of the Anterior and Posterior Femoral Muscles, Maximum Strength and Measurement of the Circumference of the Affected Thigh

The researcher ascribes the enhancement in the strength of the anterior and posterior thigh muscles to the observed level of maximal strength growth. Haitham Joshua [6] asserts that "the development of maximum strength, arising from the interplay of internal and external forces, influences the form and magnitude of force based on the types of exercises employed in the aquatic environment, structured according to established principles and correlations. The researcher indicated that these activities were employed to facilitate fixed contractions, as well as mobile contractions and the pressure exerted by the water medium, alongside stationary movement. This facilitated the advancement of the biological components of the working muscles, ligaments, and tendons, while also enhancing the degree of muscular adaptation and its alignment with the ML, necessitating progress in neuronutrition associated with muscle fibres, which are accountable for the functioning of motor units in the muscles that enable joint movement, subsequently allowing the bones to support muscular performance. Enhancing and repairing the musculature surrounding the joint will facilitate the augmentation of ligament strength, hence aiding in the integration of requisite performance [7]. Consequently, the researcher concentrated on selecting exercises in the aquatic environment, particularly dynamic exercises that employed suitable muscle elongation angles, which positively influenced overall strength development and specifically maximum muscle strength. These workouts influenced the development of physiological features based on the duration of effort during their execution. The development of maximum strength is contingent upon muscular performance, which is seen in the movement of the associated body parts. Consequently, the athlete will execute the movement with harmony, and this coordination and organization are fundamentally established. According to Asmusin, from the researcher's perspective regarding exercise types and their compatibility, "only one-third of muscle contractures facilitate eccentric contraction, which generates movement, whereas central contraction governs movement in response to external stimuli. The rehabilitation program focused on the aquatic environment, resulting in an augmentation of the sarcoplasm, specifically the non-systolic component, which facilitates the enlargement and enhancement of energy reserves within the muscle. This process is maximised through dynamic exertion, leading to an increase in the size of the lobes, thereby reflecting an expansion of the contraction elements at their joints, ultimately contributing to muscle hypertrophy, while considering the duration of performance, commencing with the enhancement of muscular strength followed by an increase in its volume. The researcher posits that this advancement signifies an enhancement in both the magnitude and intensity of muscular contraction, persisting at peak strength during maximal exertion, which necessitates the recruitment of numerous fibres contingent upon the nature and intensity of the resistance. Additionally, it involves amplifying neural signals to achieve maximal contraction for optimal strength development, while underscoring the significance of resistance size, quantity, impact point, direction, longitudinal muscle tension, and the muscle-tendon junction. The researcher attributes the substantial discrepancies in measuring the circumference of the injured thigh to the therapeutic and rehabilitation program implemented through various aquatic exercises, which facilitated muscle hypertrophy in the affected area. This enlargement of the anatomical cross-section of the targeted muscle groups is achieved through resistance training and therapeutic exercises, which activate the nervous system's reflexes to innervate a greater number of muscle fibres, resulting in maximal muscle contraction [8].

• Diagnosing the type of injury and determining its degree of atrophy and weakness by the doctor and the therapeutic means contribute to the muscle receiving the effort exerted on it from exercises in the therapeutic and rehabilitative aquatic medium of all kinds

• The therapeutic method (thermal) short rays and ultrasound before rehabilitation exercises in the aquatic medium has an important role in removing blood congestion and opening the small blood vessels to the movement of blood, which removed the swelling and gave the opportunity to build tissues and get rid of weakness and atrophy

• The rehabilitation exercises of the method in the aquatic medium have an effect on the preparation of the injured muscle, especially when it was preceded by the use of therapeutic methods during the sessions of the therapeutic method

Rehabilitation exercises in the water medium using body weight and water pressure have an effect on the development of the level of the following variables: 

• First: Lengthening the strength of the muscles of the legs 

• Second: The flexibility of the torso and thigh in the movements of bending forward from a standing position 

• Third: The maximum strength of the thigh muscles 

• Fourth: Strength of the anterior femoral muscles 

• Fifth: Strength of the posterior femoral muscles 

• Seventh: The circumference of the injured man's thigh 

The intensity of the rehabilitation exercises in the aquatic medium with their frequency and the number of sessions and their timings contributed to the readiness of the muscles to endure the effort after the muscular injury of atrophy and weakness

Recommendations

• Adopting the rehabilitation curriculum with its exercises in the aquatic medium prepared by the researcher for the treatment of muscular injuries and other injuries

• The researcher recommends the appointment of a doctor specialized in treatment and rehabilitation by sports federations and clubs because of its importance in diagnosing injuries and using the treatment method, which must be ordered by the competent doctor and implemented by the therapist

• The necessity of involving the doctor and trainer with the therapist when developing treatment and rehabilitation programs, because of the importance of determining the type of injury, the degree of pain, the type of exercises required, their intensity, their frequency, the number of sessions, and the time of each session

• In order to avoid acute and chronic injuries, it is necessary to open educational courses for coaches and players of sports activities

1. Saleh, R. and Al-Shawk, N. "Researchers' guide to writing research." Baghdad, 2006.

2. Mahjoub, W. et al. "Scientific research methods and methods in physical education." Baghdad, Higher Education and Scientific Research Press, 1988.

3. Hassanein, M.S. "Measurement and evaluation in physical education." Vol. 1, 3rd ed., Cairo, Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi, 1995.

4. Abdul Khaleq, A.M. "The effect of a proposed approach to lower back treatment by strengthening the thigh muscles." Master's Thesis, University of Baghdad, Faculty of Physical Education, Baghdad, 2004.

5. Darwish, K. and Hassanein, M.S. "Circular training." 1st ed., Cairo, Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi, 1984.

6. Joshua, H. "Rehabilitation program technique according to some biomechanical indicators for the rehabilitation of partial tear of the lateral and medial ligament in the knee joint." Ph.D. Thesis, University of Baghdad, Faculty of Physical Education, Baghdad, 2005.

7. Mohammed, S.K. "Therapeutic sports." 2nd ed., Baghdad, Dar Al-Hekma Press, 1997.

8. Abdel Dayem, M. et al. "Physical training and figure training programs." 1st ed., Cairo, Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi, 2001.