A study reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that certain physical exercise programs either prevent or dramatically reduce the risk of sports injury. Injuries, the study notes, are the downside of exercise, and many sports injuries can be tough to treat. But the study found that certain types of exercise may help people prevent these sports injuries.
Huge Study (n=26, 610) Nails Exercise Statistics
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Jeppe Bo Lauersen, from the Institute of Sports Medicine at Bispebjerg Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, and his colleagues conducted the study. They reviewed 25 previously published studies on sports injuries which included a total of 26, 610 study participants with 3, 464 injuries. Thirteen of the studies included only adults, 11 included only adolescents, and one study included both. All participants in the studies were injury-free when they were initially enrolled.
The studies considered one or more of the following different types of physical exercise: strength training, stretching, proprioception (balance exercises) and programs that included more than one type of exercise.
The researchers found that overall physical exercise reduced the risk of sports injuries by 37%. Strength training was found to be the most effective, with a 68% decreased risk of sports injury. Proprioception was associated with a 52% decreased risk of sports injury. Stretching was the least effective method of prevention, with only a 4% decreased risk of sports injury.
The findings on strength training and stretching were similar across studies, even though the studies used different exercise programs. The researchers believe there is a need for further research on the effect of strength training on a wider variety of injuries. They also suggested that future studies should focus on acute and overuse injuries separately.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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