Adrienne Adams

Steffen Guenzel
ENC 1102
April 04, 2020

What is the best way to prevent injuries in Sports?

INTRODUCTION
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Injury prevention and knowing how best to prevent injuries has always been hard for

individuals because if we could master that skill why are we still getting injured? Being an injury

prone student-athlete for six years I know and understand the toll getting an injury can take. I am

currently a first-year kinesiology major and I got into kinesiology mainly because of my athletic

background and suffering from continuous injuries. Being tired of constant setbacks during the

season because of injuries inspired me wanting to study kinesiology. Kinesiology is the study of

the mechanics of the human body or simply put the different muscles or areas in the body that

carry out a function. Doing this research project will be beneficial to myself not only because it

relates to my field of study, but also because I am an athlete who face obtaining injuries daily

and learning how to prevent these injuries can make me a better athlete. Recently, I have

obtained a new injury in my left knee, so the benefits that we will gain from this project will not

only be for this present moment but something that can be used for future references. I believe

students in this course will benefit from this research because athlete are not the only persons

that can obtain injuries, I am positive 2 out of 5 persons reading this paper have experienced an

injury whether a sprain, dislocated or fractured a part of their bodies and may not know why. In
my research, I focus on, how to prevent injuries, how the boost recovery and what else needs to

be done as it pertains to injuries.

METHOD
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For this paper there were several tasks that went into formulating the basis of this

research. Firstly, a research proposal was created which basically is a detailed outline of why and

how this research will be carried out. The second task I completed was the Digital Paper trail,

this is a compilation of thirty cited sources that had an abstract and the link attached. There have

been some minor roadblocks to this research. The digital paper trail was the main roadblock that

I had. While composing the paper trail I realized that there were a few sources that related to my

topic, so to get to thirty I had to redirect my search and I also had to go back to my research

proposal and alter a my topic. For my research question, I intend on answering it by using a few

research methods.

Firstly, I completed an internet search for all the sources that could help me compose

several viewpoints. Secondly, a scholarly search using google scholar. This provided a few

journal articles and researches. All the information gathered will be used to effectively construct

my research paper with multiple viewpoints as to which method is ideal for injury prevention or

if all methods can be used together for optimum benefits.

 DISCUSSION
__________________________________________________________________

After conducting various methods of research, I have found four perspectives that will aid

in injury prevention. These are nutrition, stretching, training intensity and sleep. Under each of

these headings there were three to five sources that provided the necessary information to groom

my argument.

INJURY PREVENTION

Injury prevention according to the Public Health Reports can be defined as any activity

used to prevent or reduce the chances of obtaining an injury. Common injuries include fractures,

especially stress fractures in athletes with low energy availability, and injuries to tendons and

ligaments, especially those involved in high-impact sports, such as jumping. Given the high

prevalence of injury, it is not surprising that there has been a great deal of interest in factors that

may reduce the risk of injury or decrease the recovery time if an injury should occur. Some of

those variables are nutrition, stretching, sleep and the level at which we train. Even though they

may not be able to keep someone completely injury-free, it can support and often speed up one’s

recovery from an injury. Having improper nutrition, sleep, training intensity/volume and over

stretching can impair recovery and lengthen the time it takes a person to return to their regular

routines. Which of these factors is the best way to eliminate or help us to prevent ourselves from

getting injuries?
Nutrition

Angie Asche is a sports dietitian who founded

her private practice Eleat Sports Nutrition. This author

discusses various perspectives on how an injury risk is

increased. It then focuses specifically on how eating

certain nutrients can help to eliminate these risks. Dr.

June Kloubec and Christine Harris both did research on

the importance of whole foods nutrition in

Fig 1. Nutrition
the prevention and treatment of injury and/or healing

from surgery. Also, to guide athletes in meeting energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient needs

with whole food to keep them ready to play and/or return to play after injury. Christine

Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, CSSD, is a nutrition professor at Georgia State University. Her article

focuses on nutrition as an aid to stress fracture healing. Though it provides adequate information

the author emphasizes that there is a need for more studies on the role of nutrients in preventing

and haling injuries in athletes. Originally a Professional rugby league player, Graeme is now a

Professor in Human Physiology at Liverpool John Moores University. Here he combines his

academic research with nutrition and physiology. His journal provides information on the effect

the nutrition has on injury. Also, it provides both macro and micro-nutrients beneficial to injury

prevention and the total energy intake that would prevent an injury.

Nutrition is the process of taking food in and using it for growth, metabolism and repair.

The food we eat gives us the building blocks that we use for all biological processes. Certain

ingredients can affect responses like inflammation, promote tissue regeneration, and reduce

muscular atrophy, among other things. Certain foods can help boost immune function and
prevent injuries. These foods are carbohydrates, proteins, fats and antioxidants. Carbohydrates

can be consumed before, during or after exercising. The carbs functions mainly to provide the

body with immediate energy. However, it aids in the protein synthesis recovery process.

Adequate protein intake helps to repair muscle tissues and reduces muscle breakdown after

exercise and fats specifically omega-3 works as an anti-inflammatory to reduce inflammation. To

prevent muscular damage, fruits and vegetables with a high level of antioxidants should be

consumed. Maintaining an appropriate dietary intake is important for maintaining fitness and

health and/or in regaining fitness after injury in athletes. Conversely, inadequacies in dietary

intake have a negative effect on physical performance, which might, in turn, contribute to an

increased risk of injury. This is as likely to be the case for the bone as it is for other tissues of

importance to the athlete, like muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Stretching

David Behm currently works at the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial

University of Newfoundland. David does research in Sports Science and Exercise Physiology

with a focus on neuromuscular responses and adaptations. This source discusses various

perspectives on how stretching can eliminate

injuries. It then focuses specifically on how

nutrition can help to eliminate these risks. This

is one of the sources that represents only a

viewpoint on stretching. There was a website

Fig 2. Stretching
founded that stated that the article was written

by Brad Walker. He is an American pole

vaulter. He was the American recordholder and was the 2007 World Champion in the event. This

blog highlights that choosing the right type of stretching during your rehabilitation program will

have a tremendous effect on the speed of your recovery. They further mentioned that choosing

the wrong type could lead to further injuries and a very slow recovery. Sabrina DeBellis is an

undergraduate at the College of Brackfort. The purpose of her synthesis was to examine the

impact that stretching has on injury prevention during physical activity. The studies reviewed in

the critical mass reviewed the different types of stretching methods: static, dynamic, and

proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.

Stretching, as it relates to physical health and fitness, is the process of placing parts of the

body into a position that will lengthen, or elongate, the muscles and associated soft tissues.

Stretching is commonly practiced before sports participation. Without it, the muscles shorten and

become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to

extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage. Although

there are many ways to perform a stretch, they can all be grouped into one of two categories:

Static or Dynamic. Static stretching is performed by placing the body into a position whereby the

muscle (or group of muscles) to be stretched is under tension. Both the opposing muscle group

and the muscles to be stretched are relaxed. Then slowly and cautiously the body is moved to

increase the tension of the stretched muscle group. At this point the position is held or

maintained to allow the muscles to lengthen. Dynamic stretching uses a controlled, soft bounce

or swinging motion to move a body part to the limit of its range of movement. The force of the

bounce or swing is gradually increased but should never become radical or uncontrolled.
Sleep

Dr. Elizabeth A Copenhaver, MD is a doctor primarily located in Nashville. Her journal

article highlights that adequate sleep can easily become compromised as student-athletes try to

balance the multiple demands on their time. This journal further states that people with sleep

deficiency are at increased risk for acute illnesses

and traumatic sports injuries. Burke Gao is a former

past student and staff member of the Warren Alpert

Medical School The purpose of his study is to

systematically review published literature to examine

if a lack of sleep is associated with sports injuries in

Fig 3. Sleep
adolescents and to delineate the effects of chronic

versus acute lack of sleep. The following article

discusses how sleep and injuries are correlated. The article discusses the significance of sleep as

recovery tool in athletes from training efforts, according to physios, coaches, and sports

scientists. It highlights the study which reveals the injury rates in teenage athletes who get long

hours of sleep as compared to those who slept less. It also emphasizes the required hormone for

muscle repair and recover from micro trauma.

Sleep is a condition of body and mind in which the nervous system is relatively inactive,

the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended for

several hours. Adequate sleep can easily become compromised as student-athletes try to balance

the multiple demands on their time. Training sessions or competitions during extremely early or

late hours can interfere with circadian and homeostatic rhythms. Adjusting the training schedule

to improve sleep duration has a significantly positive impact on several aspects of athletic

performance. A sports-related injury, the most common cause of injury in the school-age

population can range from acute season-ending or career-ending trauma to repetitive

microtrauma meaning overuse. Adolescent athletes who slept on average fewer than 8 hours per

night were 1.7 times more likely to have had an injury compared with athletes who slept for 8

hours or more. A separate study revealed that injury rates in youth athletes increased during

games that followed a night of fewer than 6 hours of sleep. When athletes are fatigued more

quickly, not only is there an increase in the potential for injury, there is also an increase in the

number of decision-making errors and training errors. Studies have shown that sleep is one of the

best forms of recovery available for the elite athlete, and therefore is assumed to play an

important role in youth athlete recovery as well as safety, especially after considering their

chronic sleep deprivation. Sleep gives the body a chance to repair and regenerate from the day

muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and growth plates need this time to recover to help prevent

overuse injuries. Sleep also helps with reaction time, which is integral in most sports. If an

athlete’s reaction time is slower, it is more difficult to adjust in sports to help prevent injury. 

Training Load and Volume

Dr. Cloe Cummins completed her doctorate in Exercise and Sports Science at the

University of Sydney in 2016. Her study aimed to: (a) identify the association between external-

workloads and injury-risk in the subsequent

week; and (b) understand the effectiveness of

workload variables in establishing injury-risk.

Dr. Ahmed Naglah is a professor at the King

Saud University and has been a part of eighty-

Fig 4. Relationship Between Training

Intensity and Recovery
one researches and four projects. One of these researches shares information on performance

management and how it is concerned with maximizing athletes’ performance and minimizing the

risk of player injuries. It provides information on how persons can predict if someone will

because injured due to their training load.

Training intensity/volume or exercise intensity refers to how much energy is expended

when exercising. Perceived intensity varies with each person. It has been found that intensity

influences what fuel the body uses and what kind of adaptations the body makes after exercise

too much training load and underestimating your recovery times will eventually lead to

overtraining. Too light training load and too much recovery will lead to a decrease in

performance as well.

CONCLUSION

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In conclusion, after researching and taking into consideration each factor of recovery, I

can say that each has its own benefit to the process. Stretching, nutrition, sleep and training

intensity all targets a specific and carry out a different function in recovery. Nutrition highlighted

the importance of macro nutrients. Protein is specific for muscle repair, carbohydrates is the

number one go to source for energy for the body and fats eliminates inflammation, especially

omega 3. Another way of injury prevention was stretching, it highlighted that static and dynamic

stretching were the best types of stretches for injury prevention. The authors stated that sleep is

crucial in recovery, when sleeping the body uses that time to recover. A person should get a full
eight hours of sleep for optimum recovery. Finally training intensity was the simplest perspective

to understand, the harder the workout, the greater the toll it will take on the body.

The best way is to prevent an injury in sports, I would say that there is no specific way to

prevent injuries because by following one factor and doing the other incorrectly another injury

may arise. So, I have concluded that following all these factors, knowing their benefits, and

carrying them out correctly will aid in injury prevention in athletes. Lastly, I urge any athlete

reading this research paper to follow all these factors or begin to follow them. You will see the

difference especially if you are a injury prone athlete like myself.

WORKS CITED
Asche, Angie. “What Should I Eat to Prevent Injury or Illness?” Eleat Sports Nutrition, LLC,
Eleat Sports Nutrition, LLC, 28 June 2014,
www.eleatnutrition.com/blog/2014/6/28/what-should-i-eat-to-prevent-injury-or-illness

Behm, David G., and Malachy P. McHugh. To Stretch or Not to Stretch. [Electronic Resource] :
The Role of Stretching in Injury Prevention and Performance. Healthy Learning,
2010. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=cat00846a&AN=ucfl.033407914&site =eds-live&scope=site.

Close, Graeme L., et al. “Nutrition for the Prevention and Treatment of Injuries in Track and
Field Athletes.” International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, vol. 29,
no. 2, Mar. 2019, pp. 189–197. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=sph&AN=135936382&site=eds- live&scope=site

Copenhaver, Elizabeth A. .., and Alex B. 2.alex. b.diamond@vanderbilt.ed. Diamond. “The

Value of Sleep on Athletic Performance, Injury, and Recovery in the Young
Athlete.” Pediatric Annals, vol. 46, no. 3, Mar. 2017, pp. e106–e111. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.3928/19382359-20170221-01.

Cummins, Cloe, et al. “Modelling the Relationships between Volume, Intensity and Injury-Risk
in Professional Rugby League Players.” Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport, vol. 22,
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DeBellis, Sabrina. What Is the Impact of Stretching on Injury Prevention During Physical

Activity? 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
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“Eating the Right Foods to Recover From an Injury.” OPA Ortho, 18 Sept. 2019,
www.opaortho.com/injury-and-recovery-nutrition/

Gao, Burke, et al. “CHRONIC LACK OF SLEEP IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED

SPORTS INJURY IN ADOLESCENTS: A systematic review and meta-analysis prism
6th Annual Meeting, January 17-19, 2019, Atlanta, Georgia.” Orthopaedic Journal of
Sports Medicine, vol. 7, Mar. 2019, p. N.PAG. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1177/2325967119S00132..
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Kloubec, June, and Cristen Harris. “Whole Foods Nutrition for Enhanced Injury Prevention and
Healing.” ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, vol. 20, no. 2, Mar. 2016, pp. 7–
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direct=true&db=sph&AN=113491709&site=eds- live&scope=site.

Naglah, Ahmed, et al. “Athlete-Customized Injury Prediction Using Training Load Statistical
Records and Machine Learning.” 2018 IEEE International Symposium on Signal
Processing and Information Technology (ISSPIT), Signal Processing and Information
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Rosenbloom, Christine. “Stress Fractures in Athletes: What Is the Role of Nutrition in

Prevention and Treatment?” Nutrition Today, vol. 48, no. 2, Mar. 2013, pp. 81–
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