INJURY FREE PROGRAM

Injury free program Injury prevention has become one of the key aspects in the life of athletes, no matter their level or their age. Numerous studies justify the importance of a prevention work in order to avoid injuries: Regarding youth sport, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons establish that each year more than 3.5 million children aged 14 and younger are treated for sports-related injuries in the US, making the prevention of such injuries a top priority. According to the US Center of Disease Control (CDC) high school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries and 50000 doctors visits each year. Overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school students. The CDC finishes stating that more then half of all sports injuries in children are preventable. To give an example on adult sport, the British journal of Sports medicine states that runners get an average of 4 injuries per 1,000 hours of running. This means that runners training 5-10 hours per week, could potentially get 2 injuries per year. Further, epidemiological studies estimate that between 19% and 79% of runners sustain an overuse injury in a 1 year period. Recurrence of injuries is also common: 20 – 70% of injuries will come back. The knee gets injured the most with 42%. Second is the foot and ankle at 17%, followed by the lower leg at 13% and the hip/pelvis at 11%. The aim of the injury free program is to achieve, recover or maintain optimal functioning of the human body’s musculoskeletal system, also known as optimal body function. What’s new is a detailed analysis of the basics of the human body. The methods and techniques which tend to be used these days do not include tools for seeking out and finding the reasons for pain or injuries. But you have to locate those weak spots on your body if you want to prevent injury effectively. The program is in two parts: First, assessment: identifying the weak points, physical limitations or failures in various structures that could be giving rise to defective movements. Movement patterns and whole movements will be examined. These assessments will then be used to produce a body map, showing where weaknesses, imbalances and limitations lie. Second, corrective action: putting right anything which is not working properly. The aim here is to activate muscles, remove limitations or improve movement patterns and you reach this by doing exercises and routines. In brief, the program can get people moving efficiently, and in a balanced way. Moving more efficiently in turn significantly reduces the risk of pain, discomfort or injury. What is optimal body function? Optimal body function is when the human body’s musculoskeletal system is working perfectly. It is a situation in which the human body has no weak muscles, limited joints or any kind of imbalance or decompensation. For it to work properly the muscles, joints, fascias and master system all have to be operating effectively. You could also define it as being the foundation on which movements are built, or the guarantee that the body is in tip-top shape and actions, gestures and movements are being properly carried out. What can the assessment tests do? The assessment tests aim to identify two things in the human body: —Weak points: in the muscle system, inhibited muscles; in the joint system, limited joints; in the fascia system, shortened fascias; and in the master system poor coordination, lack of balance or mechanical maladjustment. —Movement patterns: all the movements that somebody can do. They are part of the master system, and if they don’t work properly then actions will not be precise or effective. Most assessment tests compare movements and muscle strength on one side of the body with the same movement on the other side. Everyone’s body is different, and it’s very hard to perform analysis on the basis of pre-set tables or benchmarks. So comparing different segments and movements is one of the most useful analytical tools. The thinking behind the method If you compare the majority of therapeutic methods that people are using these days (Pilates, osteopathy, chiropraxis, stretching, shia-tsu, kinesiology, bodybuilding . . .) you’ll see that they work in similar ways. Nearly all these methods aim to have a positive influence on the body, to help it work properly. This means ensuring that joints are free and unrestricted, that muscular contractions are sound and muscles strong, that the nervous system is working well and that the body as a whole is well-tuned and balanced. If you look a bit closer, you’ll see that the techniques employed in these methods are actually combinations of exercises that have been around for a lot longer: yoga, traditional Chinese medicine, and oriental martial arts have been studying and experimenting on the human body for thousands of years. In the 20th century, and so far in the 21st, there has not been much new ground in the areas of manual therapy and therapeutic exercises. The Injury program is essentially not very different to other recent therapies and methods. It is a selection of techniques and exercises that I have used over the years in my role as therapist to top athletes, and that I have found useful in preventing and treating injury. Where my program is different to the majority of methods is in the following: 1. The methodology follows these steps: assessment—interpretation—treatment/exercise followed by further analysis of different parameters in the body which can be influenced by any one of us. An exercise will only be used to improve a condition. 2. The program performs a virtual dissection of the body into four systems, and begins by trying to influence each system separately. It assumes each injury has been caused by improper functioning of one of the systems. This will have to be tackled in order for the body to work properly. The systems have to work well separately, but also together. The master system plays the role of overarching coordination.