Strength Training is Highly Effective at Preventing Sports-Related Injuries

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Lauersen et al. (2013). The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48, 871-877.

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->This meta-analytical study reviewed the available randomized controlled trials that compared various exercise intervention programs’ injury preventative effects with their control group counterparts. This constitutes a gold-standard level of scientific evidence.

->Exercise intervention programs included strength, stretching, proprioception (including balance), and mix-modality programs. 

->These training program interventions were either pre- or in-season training programs and compared sport season injury rates between interventional and control groups.

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->Strength training programs outperformed all other exercise intervention programs including stretching, proprioception/balance, and mix-modality/combined methods approaches.

->Stretching programs were completely ineffective and had no injury preventative effects.

->Strength training programs reduced sports injuries to less than one-third of that of the control groups.

->Strength training programs reduced overuse injuries by nearly half of their normal occurrences. 

->Because strength training was solely demonstrated to be more effective than mixed methods programs (which also included strength training), it is evident that the inclusion of stretching and proprioception/balance exercises in a greater strength training program reduces the effectiveness of the program in prevent injuries.

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TLDR/Take-Home:

->Strength training is extremely effective at preventing sport-related injuries.

->Strength training should be implemented in, at least, pre- and in-season training programs for the health of the athlete.

->Stretching is ineffective at preventing sports-related injuries

->Including stretching, proprioception, and balance components in programs that aim to prevent sports-related injuries is inefficient and ineffective.

->Training resources (e.g., time, effort, recovery) are finite. The correct allocation of these resources are paramount for injury prevention.

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