Prevention of injuries among youth team sports : the role of decreased movement control as a risk factor

Good movement control is essential in team sports that require fast-paced running, pivoting, jumping and landing. Alterations in dynamic neuromuscular control may cause significant stress on the musculoskeletal system, and increase the risk of both acute and overuse injuries. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent sports injuries, the incidence and severity of overuse injuries, and the role of decreased movement control as a risk factor for future injuries in young team sports athletes. The study methods included a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, a retrospective epidemiological investigation on the prevalence of overuse injuries, a cross-sectional investigation on young athletes’ movement control, and a prospective risk factor analysis on the biomechanical characteristics of a jump-landing task. The observational study population comprised a total of 401 young basketball and floorball players from the Tampere district. First, the study revealed that training interventions are effective to prevent sports injuries. Second, overuse injuries in youth basketball and floorball affected mainly the knee and the lower back, and caused long absences from training and competition. Third, decreased movement control was highly common, especially among young female players from basketball and floorball. Finally, stiff landings with less knee flexion and increased vertical ground reaction force were associated with increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries among young female team sports players. Certain deficiencies in young athletes’ movement control and jump-landing technique might be related to future injuries. However, the current screening method based on a jump-landing task is not accurate enough to identify athletes who will suffer future injury. Neuromuscular training can improve movement control during sporting tasks and is effective in reducing the risk of injuries. The actions to prevent ACL injuries in young female team sports players should include a focus on avoiding stiff landing patterns by teaching the players to increase knee flexion during landing and cutting movements.