Athlete Injury Prevention

By Ryan Stuart

It’s that time of the year! With the sporting season coming up fast, the best asset you can have as an athlete is your ability to be ready week in, week out. Getting the body ready for the season is more than just bicep curls and getting some km’s in the legs. Here are a few exercises I think you should be adding into your programs this preseason.

1. Nordic Hamstring Curl

The Nordic was previously a widely used exercise in athletic populations and is making it’s way back into the high performance sector as well as being used in clinical populations. The Nordic curl is a great exercise and tool for injury prevention due to it’s multitude of progressions and regressions that you can modify based on your training level. The Nordic curl has been shown to reduce risk of hamstring injuries by 50%.

2. Copenhagen

The Copenhagen is another exercise increasing in popularity. This adductor (inner thigh) exercise boasts significant reduction in groin injuries, with athletes that include Copenhagen’s in their program showing a 55% reduced risk of groin injury. This is highly prevalent in kicking sports due to the increased load in this movement (AFL, rugby league, soccer).

3. Calf Raise

Calf strength can not be overlooked in the conversation of injury prevention. Calf raises are used in many return to sport assessments to determine if an athlete is ready to get back on the field. An athlete whose calf strength isn’t where it needs to be, is at an increased risk of injury. This exercise can also be progressed very easily by moving to single leg or adding weight.

4. Weighted Standing March

Core strength and body control are usually not on the top of people’s list in regard to exercise selection. They may not be the most glamorous exercises but they are critical in the reduction of injury. The core is the powerhouse of the body; this is where we generate our power, therefore making it essential for sport performance. It can also be directly related to reducing back injuries in athletes (which make up roughly 20% of all injuries that occur in sports). Therefore a strong core is essential to increase stability through dynamic movements.

Want to know more about these exercises or how you can get an individualised Athlete’s Program of your own? Book in with one of our Exercise Physiologist’s here or call the clinic on 4725 2015 for more information.