Despite strides, gaps between lab and practice remain

It’s an exciting time for clinicians involved in preventing sports injuries. Increasing numbers of studies are identifying risk factors associated with specific injuries and documenting the effectiveness of preventive interventions for reducing injury rates.

Early single-sport specialization in youth athletes is associated with increased risk of reinjury in addition to primary injury, but online counseling can help to reduce those risks, according to two studies from Atlanta presented at the IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, held in Monaco in March.

Clinicians looking to prevent fifth meta­tarsal fractures (Jones fractures) in soccer players may want to consider proximal as well as distal factors, according to studies from two separate Japanese research groups presented at the IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, held in Monaco in March.

A zero drop is not enough to notably alter the biomechanics of running in a cushioned shoe but may affect injury risk in some runners, according to research from Luxembourg presented at the IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, held in Monaco in March.

Two studies presented at the IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, held in Monaco in March, shed light on the complex ways in which aspects of landing contribute to risk of ankle sprain in volleyball and basketball—both sports in which ankle sprains often occur when one player lands on another’s foot.