April 18 2017
There has been a lot written about injury prevention in the scientific literature and there are a number of programs aimed at sports specific exercises as well as general strengthening and co-ordination work that can decrease injury rates by as much as one third.
Although preventing injuries sounds like a terrible business model, it is an integral part of a physiotherapists job when working with the physically active people.
Preventing injuries is a complex area and it can involve factors such as maximising the available range of motion in joints, improving strength in appropriate muscle groups and, at the elite level, it involves complex monitoring of training loads to prevent over or under training.
An area where there has been a lot of research is preventing injury in the lower limb for sports such as Soccer, AFL and Netball. The common injuries in theses sports, including ankle sprains and ACL injuries, can keep athletes out of action for extended periods of time and any preventative strategies to decrease the risk of injury are important for both the sporting clubs and the individual athletes in maintaining activity levels.
As an added bonus, preventing injuries keeps you away from your fun loving Physiotherapist’s at Mitcham Rehab & Marion Sports Physio …..!
To help with injury prevention FIFA, the AFL and Netball Australia have developed sports specific injury prevention programs that can be easily incorporated into the daily training environment.
Check them out below and click on the links to be taken to the websites where you can download the manuals and get started on them today.
Here are three comprehensive injury prevention programs that have been well researched and specifically developed for their chosen sports.
Soccer – FIFA 11+ and FIFA 11+ KIDS
The FIFA 11+ was the one of the first injury prevention programs specifically tailored to preventing lower limb injuries in amateur soccer players. The program involves 3 sections to prevent injuries and has plenty of research behind its effectiveness. FIFA have also developed the FIFA 11+ KIDS for youngsters starting the game.
Click on the picture above or here to access downloadable content from the FIFA 11+
Click here to access downloadable content for the FIFA 11+ KIDS
AFL – Footy First
The Footy First program was developed in much the same fashion as the FIFA 11+ but incorporates AFL specific drills and exercises and can be easily adopted into the daily training program.
Click on the picture above or here to access downloadable content on the AFL Footy First
Netball – KNEE Program
Ankle sprains and ACL injuries are far too common in Netball. Netball has the highest participation numbers of any sport in Australia and the KNEE program, developed by Netball Australia, is an effective program for preventing these injuries across all levels of Netball from the elite to recreational player.
When you get to training next time, ask your coach if they have heard of these programs. If not, point them in the right direction! These programs can be downloaded and incorporated easily and can be beneficial in keeping your team healthy. If you are involved in another sport, fear not! The principles that are consistent across all of these programs can be applied to your specific concerns.
As always, if you or your club want any further information about injury prevention programs or how to implement them then please get in touch. We are fun loving physio’s after all…!
