SWO INJURY / RE-INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAMS
There are several effective injury prevention programs designed for specific sports or high-level athletics, such as the FIFA 11+ program and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre. An international research group recently published encouraging findings in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, demonstrating that neuromuscular training can reduce injury risk while also improving performance. The paper can be accessed through a link on their website.
It's important to address common misconceptions about injury prevention. Stretching alone is not enough to prevent injuries, and excessive stretching can actually be counterproductive. While joint mobility is crucial, overstretching does little to prevent injuries. Additionally, contrary to popular belief, research has shown that stretching does not warm up muscles, prevent soreness or injury, enhance performance, or physically change muscles. This information is all relevant to our discussion of injury and re-injury prevention programs.
(Copyright SWO | Health & Performance)
Men and women have similar injury rates. Despite this fact, physical activity has long been associated with higher injury rates in men due to the misconception that their larger size and strength make them more prone to injury. However, research shows that male and female athletes actually have similar injury rates per hour of training. One common myth among runners is that increasing speed leads to a higher risk of injury ("speed kills"). At SWO, we specialise in helping both recreational joggers and elite athletes achieve their training goals while minimizing the risk of injury. We are pleased to report that recent studies indicate there is no correlation between running speed and injury rate.
Copyright Yann Le Meur (@YLMSportScience).
Here are five evidence-based approaches to reducing your risk of injury:
1. Manage your training "load": Not too much, not too little.
Research shows that the risk of injury is linked to how much energy you exert during training, which in turn relates to how hard and rapidly your tissues are challenged. Managing your training load by avoiding spikes of intense load or lulls of little load can have a profound benefit on remaining injury-free. If you experience unavoidable disruptions to your routine, such as travel or illness, return to training cautiously and slowly progress back to your best weight/times/distance/repetitions.
2. Follow a structured warm-up and cool-down routine.
A proper warm-up and cool-down routine can help prepare your body for exercise and reduce the risk of injury. This should include dynamic stretching, mobility exercises, and foam rolling.
3. Incorporate strength training into your routine.
Strength training can help improve muscle imbalances, increase joint stability, and prevent injuries. Focus on exercises that target the major muscle groups in the body.
4. Listen to your body.
Pay attention to any pain or discomfort during exercise as this may be an early warning sign of an impending injury. If you experience any pain or discomfort, modify or stop the activity immediately.
5. Seek professional advice when needed.
If you are unsure about how to perform an exercise correctly or if you have a pre-existing condition that may affect your ability to exercise safely, seek advice from a qualified fitness professional or healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program.
In 2016, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published a statement from the International Olympic Committee on load management (Soligard et al., 2016), suggesting:
It is well-established in several sports that "load management" plays a crucial role in preventing injury and illness. Fluctuations in load, whether too high or too low, can increase the risk of both. Maintaining a moderate level of load, can prevent illness and injury while still providing stimulus for improvement through training. However, not everyone is equally vulnerable to high loads; elite athletes generally have a higher tolerance capacity, relatively lowers the risks of overload but certainly not immune from it. Rapid and significant changes in load pose greater risks than absolute load levels. In fact, gradually increasing load may even have a protective effect. It's important to note that "load" can refer not only to physical stressors but also to non-sport-related stressors and internal factors such as psychology. Daily stresses or major emotional challenges can impact an athlete's ability to manage their load effectively, so it's essential to consider these factors when designing injury prevention programs.
