Best Warm-Up Programs for Young Soccer Players Reduce Injuries and Save Money

What kind of warm-ups reduce sports injuries? Calgary research says neuromuscular https://t.co/3SWqn1CLTI

— Chris Koutures, MD (@dockoutures) April 14, 2016

Adds to a growing list of studies supporting evidence-based neuromuscular training programs to reduce burden of both injuries and their associated economic costs.

Looking for neuromuscular training programs for young soccer players?

Check out these links:

• How to protect the knees of young athletes- a list of web-based neuromuscular training programs
• Getting defensive about knee injuries in young soccer players

10 Interesting Facts About Lower Body Injuries in Youth Soccer

1.       In youth soccer, most lower body injuries come from non-body contact and occur more in competition than training or practice sessions.  While training injury incidence rates usually do not change with increased player age, match injury incidence tends to increase with age through all age groups

2.       The time of the adolescent growth spurt (girls usually age 12-14 and boys usually age 13-16) seems to have an increased vulnerability for traumatic injuries.  Afterwards athletes seem to be susceptible to cumulative overuse injuries.

3.       Knee injuries occur in 7% to 36% of injured players and are seen more frequently in females  Middle school soccer playing females have a higher rate of anterior knee pain issues than volleyball or basketball players. Any single-sport adolescent female has a higher risk of anterior knee pain issues.

4.       Adolescent female soccer players suffer a roughly 3-6 times increased risk of ACL rupture compared to boys playing the same sport. Several factors have been proposed for the increased risk, such as anatomic differences, hormonal contributions with menstrual cycles, and higher-risk single-leg landing, turning, and jumping positions.

5.       Female adolescent players who completed certain Neuromuscular Training Programs intended to reduce knee injuries have been shown enjoy significantly reduced ACL injury rate compared with players with low compliance.

6.       Ankle injuries account for 16% to 29% of injuries and are more frequent in male and older players   Ankle contusions more common in younger players due to the more ground-oriented game, while in older players ankle sprain tend to occur due to the more aggressive and faster game.

7.       Taller players are more likely report more overall injuries than shorter players, and more apt to suffer knee injuries often by playing more physically demanding positions with jumping and abrupt turning.

8.       Shorter players are often recipients of intense and often violent direct contact to the foot and ankle regions.

9.       Greater exposure to training and competition leads to a greater risk of injury due to the high intensity of the activities.

10.   The higher incidence of injury during matches than training highlights the need for education and prevention programs in youth soccer. These programs should focus on coach education aimed at improving skills, techniques, and fair play during competitions with the goal of reducing injuries.

What ideas do I have to help reduce these risks?

• Find ways to make evidence-based injury prevention programs standard practice for all young players
• Ensure proper Certified Athletic Trainer or other medical coverage
• Place large emphasis on fair play and rule enforcement
• Caution with players tending  toward year-round or single-sport emphasis at/near their peak growth periods

What ideas would you add to help young soccer players reduce lower body injuries?

Let's Second the Importance of ACL Injury Prevention Programs

As if tearing an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) the first time isn't wonderful enough, the risk of a similar second injury within 24 months of returning to sport is frighteningly high, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

In the population of 78 patients (mean age 17.1 years) who underwent surgical ACL reconstruction and made a return to cutting and twisting sports:

• 29.5% of athletes suffered a second ACL injury with 24 months of returning to sport
• Just over 2/3 of those second tears involved the opposite knee
• Those opposite knee tears were more seen in female athletes

in my opinion, this high rate of second injury, especially in the opposite knee, adds even more evidence to the already strong suggestions that improper lower extremity mechanics play a significant role in ACL tears and that neuromuscular training programs are absolutely essential for prevention especially in female participants in high risk activities such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics and lacrosse. 

Thankfully, there are several evidence-based programs readily found at no charge:

• Lurie Children's Institute for Sports Medicine Knee Injury Prevention Program (KIPP)
• Santa Monica Sports Medicine Foundation PEP Program
• Sportsmetrics ACL Injury Prevention Program

Best started as athletes reach early puberty (age 12-14), all of these programs feature stretching, strengthening, plyometric training and sport-specific agility exercise that all together take no more than 15 minutes and can easily be integrated into a regular warm-up routine that has been effectively taught to coaches both in-person and on-line.

No reasonable excuses exist for not utilizing these programs. The supporting science is solid, the programs aren't difficult to find or learn, and the time commitment for athletes and coaches is minimal.  

Parents and players need to demand these programs and reduce the risk of the ACL injury downward spiral that plagues far too many athletes.

Does your team incorporate neuromuscular training programs? If not, does this information make you more eager to encourage starting a knee injury reduction program? Would the presence of absence of the training program influence selection of a particular team?