Predicting injury is becoming the Holy Grail of professional sports. By that I don’t just mean it’s something holy and heaven sent. I mean that it is something many are aspiring to but as yet is largely fantastical. True injury prediction will be multi-factorial and look at mechanical, lifestyle, training load, and physiological data to put together a comprehensive model that provides high likelihoods for injury that can inform coaches on playing and practice load. There are several well-supported leading indicators such as:
- Hamstring eccentric strength via Nord Board assessment
- Prior injury history
- Inadequate sleep quality or quantity
- Training or match load
I was recently sent a mechanical screen using motion sensors which has also shown promise in U18 Premier League teams as both an assessment and intervention tool (see case studies here and here). While it’s doubtful there will be one true assessment (see results refuting use of the FMS) using tools like ViMove could usher us in to the next frontier in injury prediction.
Mike Young
Latest posts by Mike Young (see all)
- Brilliant Hamstring Injury Observations from Dave Joyce - September 26, 2018
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