The series of weekly segments we have hosted with our scientific consultancy on Sky Sport comes to an end. In this eleventh episode of Sky Sport Doctor, Dr. Fabrizio Tencone, Director of the Isokinetic clinic in Turin, discussed the prevention of sports injuries and how it plays a crucial role for athletes of all levels.
Why is it important to talk about sports injuries?
It is important to talk about sports injuries to try to avoid them, prevent them, and, when they do happen, to treat them effectively and recover in the best possible way, so athletes can return to being the same as before.
Is it not guaranteed to return to being the same athlete as before after an injury?
Recovery after a serious injury is not guaranteed.
For example, if we consider all athletes who have undergone ACL surgery studied at an international level, only 63% return to playing the same sport at the same level as before.
This statistic is striking, concerning, and far from the common perception that says, “I’ll have the surgery, and then everything will go back to normal!”
Moreover, after a serious injury, the risk of developing “premature aging” of the joint or early osteoarthritis over time is extremely high.
So, I would say there are indeed serious reasons to try to prevent injuries or at least ensure a full and proper recovery.
What is the solution to getting injured less often and preventing sports injuries?
The solution is now clear: prevention exercises, and the key to success is the coach – there’s no doubt about it.
It is not the coach who directly evaluates or analyzes the players or has them perform prevention exercises, but as the leader, it is up to them to decide whether to dedicate time to prevention activities or not.
The coach is the key to injury prevention!
It is often said that a packed match schedule is one of the causes of a high number of injuries: is that true?
Of course, it’s true!
The number of injuries increases as “exposure to risk” increases, meaning the more time spent on the field, the higher the risk of getting injured. Thanks to UEFA’s medical data, in which I have personally participated for many years, starting from the first medical meetings in 2001, we also know that, for example in football, injuries are four times more frequent during matches compared to training. Therefore, if the number of matches increases, so will the number of injuries.
At this point, what exactly should be done to avoid getting injured?
Injuries cannot be completely eliminated, but they can be reduced – that’s for sure.
There are certain prevention programs, exercise programs that reduce injuries by 30 to 50% during the season, and they are extremely useful even for kids and younger athletes.
We know that to reduce injuries, one should train more and in a more “intelligent” way, as well as correct improper sports techniques and move more efficiently.
What does “train more” and “in a more intelligent way” mean?
Until just about ten years ago, we didn’t have a very clear understanding of this. We certainly knew that being better trained allowed athletes to play better, achieve better sports performance, and win, but we weren’t sure it also had an impact on injuries—or at least sports medicine science hadn’t proven it yet.
I clearly remember that some of us sports doctors, and even many coaches, thought that “to avoid getting injured, one should train less to reduce the risk”.
Then, in 2016, an Australian scientist, Tim Gabbett, demonstrated what he called a “paradox” and coined the phrase that we now consider fundamental:
“Train smarter and harder,” meaning “train more intelligently and harder”.
To reduce injuries, it is necessary to train by increasing the intensity, or so-called loads, each week, while avoiding training peaks, as these are the ones that promote the occurrence of injuries.
Did you also say that to reduce injuries, it is necessary to correct improper movements?
That’s right! In recent years, we have closely studied videos of sports injuries in football and other sports, and it has been observed that while some issues arise from game collisions, the majority occur without or with minimal contact with the opponent.
It is now quite clear that injuries are not the opponent’s fault but rather due to how you move.
Studying an athlete’s movements, whether they are a professional or a casual weekend enthusiast, helps identify if they are performing risky movements.
Once improper movements are identified, a series of exercises must be performed to correct them – very specific exercises, as you can see in the video.
At the end of the rehabilitation and prevention program, it is necessary to repeat the tests to measure the improvements.
This athlete, after a period of specific exercises, moves their knee perfectly and has complete control over it.
Now it’s clear why it’s important to talk about sports injuries!
Talking about sports injuries today seems increasingly important.
Especially because today we know what to do to prevent them, significantly reduce their frequency and severity – we know much more now.
The big revelation we’ve learned is that, in most cases, injuries are not the opponent’s fault, not the field’s fault, but rather the result of how we move on the field!
