This week's question -
I heard you work with people who are not injured to prevent injuries. What does this look like? Can you really prevent injuries?
My answer -
There are some injuries that cannot be prevented. But training our bodies what to do in situations where we are likely to get injured, or how to resist the types of forces that usually lead to injury can go a long way in reducing the likelihood and severity of injuries.
I once read that "a good injury prevention program is really just a sound strength and conditioning program, with some extras" and that really resonated with me. As I am also a strength and conditioning coach, I use a lot of the same principles when coming up with a strength training routine as I do for an "injury prevention" routine. These include
1. Being able to push weight away from our bodies
2. Being able to pull weight towards our bodies
3. Being able to squat well
4. Being able to hinge well from our hips
5. Being able to carry moderate/heavy weights for a distance
6. Single leg work
7. Foot control
8. Being able to take our joints through a range of motion actively that is near our passive ability.
9. Creating and resisting force in all 3 planes of motion (and sometimes a combination for advanced athletes)
10. Knowing how to put the breaks on (whether this is landing a jump, stopping a run or stopping a follow through on a throw or bat)
If you can do all of these things and do them well, without pain, fatigue, etc - likelihood and severity of injuries will be a lot less regardless of the situation.
Want to learn more about any of these factors specifically? Send me an email at info@perfecttenpt.com