Injury Prevention

Injuries can be devastating for athletes and good evidence now exists about what can be done to attempt to minimise sports injuries. The STRIDE Program in conjunction with TORC (Trauma & Orthopaedic Research Charity) is an education program aimed at small grass roots clubs to highlight the importance of undertaking regular strengthening exercises to reduce the risk of injuries in both children and adults in sport.

Regular compliance with injury prevention programs like this has shown >50% overall injury reduction. It is important to encourage multisport participation particularly among children to ensure these young athletes develop a broad range of transferable skills and global strength and balance.

Physical literacy means having a broad range of athletic skills, coordination, balance & stability which improves performance with the added side effect of reducing injuries.

Injury prevention should be looked at in 3 main ways:

Warm up

Other sports specific warm up programs are available. Please use the QR codes within the document below to access prevention programs specific to your sport.

Strength and Conditioning

Improving your overall muscle strength and stamina improves the stability of the knee/ankle/hip joint when landing or changing direction. Progressive resistance training builds foundational strength to reduce excessive strain on ligaments and tendons and aims to correct muscle imbalances which can predispose to injury. Injuries secondary to poor movement patterns due to fatigue later in games can be reduced with improved muscle endurance.

Plyometrics

These add speed and agility to a players game. Plyometrics focus on explosive movements with the goal of improving neuromuscular control, dynamic stability and explosive power. These exercises enhance the ability of the limb to absorb forces quickly during high-impact activities (e.g. Jumping, landing, cutting). They are valuable in teaching proper movement mechanics to prevent injury.

Return to Play

Equally, it is important to have a structured protocol for returning to sport after a period of time out due to injury so that athletes can safely return to play without risking re-injury.

Individualisation: Return to play (RTP) protocols must be tailored to the specific injury, sport, and player profile.

Communication: Effective communication among the athlete, coaching staff, medical team, & family (if applicable) is essential to ensure understanding & adherence to the RTP plan and setting realistic goals for a return to full competitive play.

Click on the image below for a guide to developing a Return To Play Protocol tailored for your team/club.