Improving lower extremity injury prevention through risk identification

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H04756
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Sports science
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan University
• Principal Investigator: Terada Masafumi 立命館大学, スポーツ健康科学部, 講師 (50779064)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 足関節捻挫 / スポーツ外傷・障害 / 下肢関節外傷 / 予防 / 多角的 / 呼吸 / 動的バランス能力

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to 1) examine the ability of various measures of physical, neural, immune, and self-reported function to predict lower extremity joint injury in high school and college student athletes, as well as 2) determine the effectiveness of a prevention protocol focused on breathing patterns. Various measures of physical function predicted a risk of injury in high school and collegiate athletes, indicating that it is important to evaluate physical function with multidirectional clinical tools in order to establish a targeted prevention program to reduce risk of lower extremity joint injury. Compared to injury rate in previous five years, breathing exercise prevention program reduced overall lower extremity injuries by 23 % in the football team. In addition to breathing exercises, football players performed supervised 10-minute session 3 times/week for 8 weeks prior to a competitive season that emphasized balance and hip strengthening presented with 6.9% ankle sprain event rate.

Free Research Field

スポーツ医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は, 効果的な下肢関節外傷予防プログラムを構築するために多角的かつ包括的に身体機能評価をする必要があることならびに呼吸トレーニングと股関節筋群の機能向上を目的とした神経筋トレーニングの有用性を示した. これらの成果は, アスリートが継続的かつ計画的にトレーニングが実施できる環境の構築および常に心身共に健康な状態で練習や試合に臨める状況を生み出すことに繋がる. 加えて, アススリートがスポーツ外傷の受傷率を減少させることにより, アスリートが引退後に外傷の後遺症に悩まされることなく末永くスポーツ競技を楽しむことに繋がる.