Injury Prevention for Athletes
- janine65493
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
Written by Dr. Alyssa (Lou) Kalitz
Did you know that knee injuries are among the most common injuries in youth sports? In particular, ACL injuries in high school athletes have increased 26% over the past 15 years. More specifically, the risk of ACL injuries in females is approximately 3-4 times greater than in males, of which 57.5% occur from a non-contact mechanism. The most high-risk sports are soccer, lacrosse, and basketball due to the nature of the sport. But did you also know that there are ways that you can significantly reduce the risk of injury?
The Answer? Injury Prevention Programs!
Injury prevention programs are highly recommended for all young athletes, especially athletes ranging from ages 12-25, and who are in higher-risk sports. At Davis PTSR, we have developed a subsidiary company, Analytics for Athletes, specifically because we saw the need in our area for programs to help reduce the risk of non-contact injury. Studies have shown that properly implementing exercise-based prevention programs has reduced ACL injuries by 53% in all young athletes and 67% in female athletes.
What should an injury prevention program consist of?
I’m glad you asked! At Analytics for Athletes powered by Davis PTSR, we have spent years developing a proper program to help reduce the risk of injuries. Studies have shown that implementing strength training, neuromuscular training, and plyometrics have shown the greatest results in reducing these dreaded season-ending injuries.
Strength Training: Focus heavily on the lower body and core.
Neuromuscular: Involves coordination, balance, and stability.
Plyometrics: Dynamic exercises focusing on power, speed, and agility.
Most research suggests that injury prevention programs should be less than 20 minutes and performed 2-3x a week. These programs should be performed year-round, not just in season, to ensure that proper movement patterns remain and to avoid biomechanical decline.
We are here to help!
If you are a parent of an athlete between 12-25 years old or if you are an athlete within these age ranges, call Analytics for Athletes for more information about a proper injury prevention program, training packages that we offer, and our DorsaVi AMI (Athletic Movement Index) testing to see if you are at an increased risk for injury.
Expect More. Better. Faster. Now.
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