Could specific exercises based on a movement screen prevent injuries in adolescent elite athletes?

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Exercise Science
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Adolescent elite athletes face high injury risks.
• The nine test screening battery (9SB) is used to assess athlete readiness.
• The efficacy of 9SB-based exercises in preventing injuries in this population is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if specific exercises derived from the 9SB can decrease short-term and seasonal injury incidence in adolescent elite athletes.
• To determine the relationship between exercise frequency and injury occurrence.

Main Methods:

• Prospective intervention study conducted over one year.
• Involved 216 adolescent elite athletes aged 15-20 across seven sports.
• Injury incidence and prevalence were monitored through weekly surveys.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in overall injury incidence or seasonal injury prevalence was found across different exercise frequencies.
• Athletes performing exercises ≥4 times/week showed significantly higher seasonal substantial injury prevalence compared to those exercising once a week.
• Performing exercises daily did not reduce the short-term risk of new or substantial injuries.

Conclusions:

• Specific exercises based on the 9SB do not demonstrate a group effect in reducing short-term or seasonal injury occurrence in adolescent elite athletes.
• Higher frequency of exercise performance was paradoxically associated with increased substantial injury prevalence.
• Further research may be needed to explore alternative injury prevention strategies or refine 9SB-based protocols.