Category: Injury Prevention
Is strength training safe for youth athletes?
According to the UKSCA (United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association), ASCA (Australian Strength and Conditioning Association), NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) and BASES (British Association of Sports and Exercise Sciences) consensus statements, strength training is safe and effective for youth athletes if prescribed and supervised by a qualified professional that ensures that the exercises are being conducted with the correct techniques, age appropriate loading and that the correct progressions are followed.
Strength training also helps ensure that youth athletes bodies are physically prepared for the forces they may experience during their actual sports that they are involved with, hence decreasing the risk of injuries.
What are your thoughts on this?
Wayne
by Sam O’ Connor
Sam O’ Connor is an Honours student at the University of Cape Town, researching concussion injury mechanism and it’s relationship to contact technique.
References
Marshall SW, Loomis DP, Waller AE, et al. Evaluation of protective equipment for prevention of injuries in rugby union. Int J Epidemiol 2005;34:113–18.
Hollis SJ, Stevenson MR, McIntosh AS, et al. Incidence, risk, and protective factors of mild traumatic brain injury in a cohort of Australian nonprofessional male rugby players. Am J Sports Med 2009;37:2328–33.
Kemp SPT, Hudson Z, Brooks JHM, et al. The epidemiology of head injuries in English professional rugby union. Clin J Sport Med 2008;18:227–34.
McIntosh AS, McCrory P, Finch CF, et al. Does padded headgear prevent head injury in rugby union football? Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009;41:306–13.
Abrahams S, McFie S, Patricios J, et al. Br J Sports Med 2014;48:91–97
ACL management guidelines for Rugby Clinicians
When considering the incidence rate and severity, ligament injuries rank among the highest risks of injury for rugby union players (Williams et al., 2013). Of all rugby-related ligament injuries, Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common.
Thus, the latest ACL management guidelines should be well known by all rugby clinicians. The hyperlink below contains the latest Evidence-Based clinical practice guidelines for ACL injuries, prepared by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:
Feel free to comment if you have had any experience with ACL injuries, either as a player or clinician!
Rugby Science 