The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials, 2014
Topics: exercises, injury prevention
Authors: Jeppe Bo Lauersen, Ditte Marie Bertelsen, Lars Bo Andersen
Abstract
Background: Physical activity is important in both prevention and treatment of many common diseases, but sports injuries can pose serious problems.
Objective: To determine whether physical activity exercises can reduce sports injuries and perform stratified analyses of strength training, stretching, proprioception and combinations of these, and provide separate acute and overuse injury estimates.
Material and methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus were searched and yielded 3462 results. Two independent authors selected relevant randomised, controlled trials and quality assessments were conducted by all authors of this paper using the Cochrane collaboration domain-based quality assessment tool. Twelve studies that neglected to account for clustering effects were adjusted. Quantitative analyses were performed in STATA V.12 and sensitivity analysed by intention-to-treat. Heterogeneity (I(2)) and publication bias (Harbord’s small-study effects) were formally tested.
Results: 25 trials, including 26 610 participants with 3464 injuries, were analysed. The overall effect estimate on injury prevention was heterogeneous. Stratified exposure analyses proved no beneficial effect for stretching (RR 0.963 (0.846-1.095)), whereas studies with multiple exposures (RR 0.655 (0.520-0.826)), proprioception training (RR 0.550 (0.347-0.869)), and strength training (RR 0.315 (0.207-0.480)) showed a tendency towards increasing effect. Both acute injuries (RR 0.647 (0.502-0.836)) and overuse injuries (RR 0.527 (0.373-0.746)) could be reduced by physical activity programmes. Intention-to-treat sensitivity analyses consistently revealed even more robust effect estimates.
Conclusions: Despite a few outlying studies, consistently favourable estimates were obtained for all injury prevention measures except for stretching. Strength training reduced sports injuries to less than 1/3 and overuse injuries could be almost halved.
Related research articles
Frequently Asked Questions about Fascia
On the Fascia Guide FAQ we have gathered the most common questions and answers about Fascia. Is there anything you would like to know? Visit the page and submit your question.
Fascia helps us understand the body as a whole
Look at a ballet dancer, a gymnast or a drummer and study their movement, feeling, timing, it is easy to be fascinated by how fast it is. Fascia helps us understand how the body is able to function in such an incredible way.
Fascia Expert: “An explosion of new research in the last 10 years”
In 2015 veterinary Vibeke S Elbrønd published the first report on Fascia and horses. To make that happen she had to learn all there was regarding fascia, she had to become a fascia expert.
Fascia Guide Research Database
Fascia research has sparked an ongoing global revolution in the anatomical research field. In The Fascia Guide Research Database we have gathered hundreds of research articles about fascia.
Training for strengthened Fascia
Exercise increases collagen production in tendons, ligaments and all Fascia. To stimulate collagen formation in tendons and ligaments, it doesn’t matter if the exercise is eccentric (muscle contraction during extension) or concentric (muscle contraction during shortening).
Fascia as a flow – a new way of explaining the body’s function
By beginning to see the body as something that is alive, and not something that is dead, we have been able to begin to notice other things.
The importance of vitamin C in pregnancy, childbirth and jaundice in newborns.
Vitamin C has many different actions in the body. It is a coenzyme, which assist in various physiological processes in the body and it is a powerful antioxidant.
Problems linked to Fascia
Fascia is a system of flexible connective tissue encapsulating everything in the body. If the system is running smoothly, all is fine, but when some parts become stiff, tense or inflamed, there will be consequences.
We have been preparing our whole lives to NOT be able to understand the importance of fascia
To truly understand Fascia, you must understand the whole. But how do you do that if you have trained all your life to divide and separate?
Can you heal osteoarthritis?
The function of the articular cartilage is to reduce friction between the two articular cartilage surfaces and facilitate sliding when the joint moves, and to absorb the load when the joint is exposed to pressure, compression