Neuromuscular Programme Drastically Reduces Soccer Injuries

It has been researched that more than 30% of injuries sustained by young people are sport related. These injuries can cause these patients to miss out on sporting activities which they enjoy and they can increase the risk of sustaining another similar injury.

Long-term issues can also be experienced by patients and they can include the following:

• Weight gain - which can increase the chances of osteoarthritis, depression and lower a person's self-esteem.
• Osteoarthritis - this can lead to increased pain and swelling in the affected joint and, in severe cases, can lead to disability.
• Depression - the patient can become socially withdrawn, where relationships with family and friends can suffer, and they can start suffering in their job or schoolwork. Depression can also increase suicidal thoughts and lead to suicide attempts.

These injuries are not only a burden on the patient, but also on the costs of a country's public health service which can amount to many millions being spent annually. 

The research

A recent study by the University of Calgary in Toronto, Canada, has been done which showed that a neuromuscular training (NMT) programme not only reduced the incidence of, in this case specifically, soccer related injuries in young people, but these programmes also reduced the health costs which were associated with these injuries.

The study used male and female participants from the ages of 13-18. The research was focused on soccer related injuries in the youth. Soccer injuries seem to mostly involve the lower limbs, with more than 60% of cases being injuries of this area. Of these lower leg injuries, more than 60% involved the knees and ankles.

The participants were then split into 2 groups. One group participated in the NMT warm-up programme which included the following components:

• Strength training.
• Balance coordination.
• Aerobic exercises.
• Agility training.
• Home-based balance training regimen.

The other group participated in a standard practice warm-up routine which is typically used on soccer fields. The components of this routine included aerobic exercises and stretching techniques.

READ Soccer Greatly Improves Health In Young People

The findings of the study

The clinical significance

Costs which are spent on managing issues, which could have been prevented by using more practical methods, is like flushing money down the toilet. This 'lost' money could be used by public health on other issues which need further research.

Besides the costs, more importantly is the patient's well-being. Not only would implementation of neuromuscular training be beneficial in better conditioning a sportsman or woman, but the reduction in sustained injuries would prevent any associated short- and long-term issues. 

Preventing Overuse Injuries Due To Physical Activities

Causes

An overuse injury is caused by repetitive trauma and can be any type of joint and/or muscle injury, for example tendonitis, or even a stress fracture. This problem occurs usually as a result of the following possible issues:

• Training error - this occurs when one tries to perform too much physical activity too rapidly. Exercising for too long, going too fast or performing too much of one type of activity, without being conditioned to handle the workload, causes the muscles and tendons to strain which can result in injury.
• Technique error - incorrect techniques can also lead to overuse injuries. One can overload the work done by certain muscles when using the wrong techniques to perform a physical activity.

Risk factors 

Overuse injuries can happen to anyone who overdoes their physical training or uses poor techniques to do so, but there are certain risk factors which are associated with the increased risk of developing this problem.

• Advanced age.
• Having certain medical conditions, such as weakness of the muscles of the hips.

How to avoid overuse injuries

Most of the time, overuse injuries are avoidable. The following suggestions can help to reduce the risk of these injuries:

• Span out physical activity - don't try and perform a week's worth of physical training into a couple of days. This will cause the muscles to be overworked and fatigue easily. Rather, people should try to pace themselves by performing 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day, and should also warm-up before embarking on these exercises.
• Increase activity levels gradually - physical intensity should be gradually increased so that the body can get used to performing at such a level. An example would be to increase weights by around 10% a week, if weight training, until the goal is reached. Once the body has been conditioned to handle the increased stress, then one can increase the intensity level again, but also gradually.
• Perform a variety of activities - as mentioned, repetitive movements of the same muscles can lead to overuse injuries. It's therefore a good idea to incorporate different training techniques and activities to avoid this.
• Make use of proper techniques and gear - take lessons in order to learn the correct techniques associated with certain sports or even when using equipment at a gym. wearing the correct gear, especially shoes will also make a big difference in the prevention of overuse injuries.

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Recovering from overuse injuries

If there's a suspicion that an overuse injury has occurred, then one should consult their doctor. Information such as when the activity was started, the intensity it was performed at, whether there were any changes to the physical activity and what activities were performed can help to identify the cause of the injury.

If there's a clinical suspicion of an injury, then one needs to stops performing the activity which resulted in the injury. Alternative training can still be performed, as long as the patient avoids using the involved body part.