Athlete Injury Prevention Protocol

 

Many athletes tend to focus solely on building major muscles with exercises like bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. However, for sustained athletic performance, it’s crucial to include stability exercises that target joints such as the shoulders, trunk, hips, and ankles.

These stability exercises enhance your ability to generate force during actual sports movements and are essential for preventing injuries. It’s advisable to perform this exercise program at least once a week. You have only one body, which is your most important asset, and it should be maintained carefully.

Kettlebell Exercises

< Evidence-Based Practice >

This injury prevention program is designed to enhance stability across key areas of the body, including the trunk, hips, shoulders, and ankles.

Research supports the effectiveness of lumbar stabilization exercises in preventing and managing low back pain (LBP), showing significant reductions in pain intensity and functional disability across various populations, including athletes (Zahari et al., 2023).

Similarly, shoulder stabilization exercises have been proven to reduce the risk of shoulder injuries, particularly in athletes participating in overhead sports. These exercises, which often combine strengthening, stabilization, and flexibility techniques targeting the shoulder complex, have been shown to effectively lower injury risk (Moiroux-Sahraoui et al., 2024).

Additionally, hip stabilization exercises are essential for preventing hip and lower extremity injuries, with a focus on strengthening hip abductors and external rotators to improve joint stability and minimize injury risk (Szewczyk et al., 2024).

This comprehensive approach targets the key areas of the body to build resilience and reduce injury risk in athletes.

Injury Prevention

< Exercises & Trainings >

Core & Shoulder

    • Deadbug with Posterior Pelvic Tilt
    • Bird Dog
    • Side Plank with Kettlebell
    • Side Plank with Hip ER with Band
    • Front Plank with Kettlebell Slide
    • Front Plank with Kettlebell Shift
    • Front Plank with Open Book
    • Suitcase Carry
    • Serratus Foam Roller
    • Body Blade

Hips & Ankles

    • Kettlebell Around the World – Kneeling
    • Monster Walk
    • Hip Airplane
    • Kettlebell Around the World – Single Leg Standing
    • Single Leg Pogo Jumps – In Place, F/B, L/R

 

< Reference >

  • Laurin E, Minerbi A, Besemann LcM, Courchesne CI, Gupta G. The McGill Approach to Core Stabilization in the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Review. Published online January 26, 2022. doi:1101/2022.01.21.22269311
  • Jeon NY, Chon SC. Effect of glenohumeral stabilization exercises combined with scapular stabilization on shoulder function in patients with shoulder pain: A randomized controlled experimenter-blinded study. BMR. 2018;31(2):259-265. doi:3233/BMR-169612
  • Cambridge EDJ, Sidorkewicz N, Ikeda DM, McGill SM. Progressive hip rehabilitation: The effects of resistance band placement on gluteal activation during two common exercises. Clinical Biomechanics. 2012;27(7):719-724. doi:1016/j.clinbiomech.2012.03.002
  • Zahari Z, Shaiful Azan SA, Ahmad Imran NF. Effectiveness of Lumbar Stabilization Exercise on Pain, Disability and Functional Performance among Older People with Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review. MJMHS. 2023;19(4):307-314. doi:47836/mjmhs.19.4.43
  • Moiroux–Sahraoui A, Mazeas J, Delgado N, et al. Prevention of Overhead Shoulder Injuries in Throwing Athletes: A Systematic Review. Diagnostics. 2024;14(21):2415. doi:3390/diagnostics14212415
  • Szewczyk J, Świta M, Szuciak A. impact of strength training on the prevention of orthopedic injuries in sports: a literature review. Qual Sport. 2024;31:55268. doi:12775/QS.2024.31.55268