LO1: Factors That Influence Injury Risk

The type of activity will impact the chances of a participant getting injured. Contact sports such as rugby, football and American Football will have a greater injury risk than non-contact sports. Sports with a higher intensity will also increase the risk of injury. There are written rules within contact sports (e.g. no dump tackles in rugby, no tackles with excessive force in football) that are in place to reduce the risk of injury also.

A coach can impact the risk of a sports person in four main ways. They teach their players poor or incorrect technique, by not checking everyone is doing things properly (not paying attention!), by not following the rules and regulations (making players do something that is not safe just to win) and finally by having poor communication skills so players do not understand what they should be doing.

Environmental factors can be broken down into three categories; the weather, the playing surface and the other participants. Weather can lead to an increase in injury risk in many ways. Weather, such as fog or heavy rain, can impact on a performer's vision. The playing surface could become slippery if it gets too wet due to the rain. In contact sports, the other participants could be overly aggressive or tackle using the incorrect technique in rugby. They could also not abide by the rules of the sport.

The amount of training and preparation you do for your chosen sport can increase or decrease your chances of getting injured. Performers must ensure they can perform the skills and have the levels of fitness required before they take part. Tired or fatigued muscles can lead to injuries occurring.

A warm up is crucial to do before exercise/sport in order to prepare both mentally and physically for exercise/sport to help reduce the risk of injury. The stages of a warm up are; pulse raiser, mobility, dynamic movement, stretching and skill rehearsal.

A cool down is crucial to complete after participating in exercise or playing sport. The cool down will help to return the body to its pre-exercise state. This will help remove waste products from the body and prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscles soreness). The stages of a cool down are; pulse lowering (e.g. walking or a slow jog) and stretching (e.g. static or maintenance stretching).

A lack of fitness will increase the risk of a performer becoming injured. Tired, tight or weak muscles cannot support the skeleton as they are supposed to, both on a daily basis but particularly when participating in sport. If a performer has low levels of fitness, then performing certain tasks will put their body under stress that it not suitable for their fitness levels.

If you constantly train and perform using the same movements and skills you can ‘over use’ your muscles. This repetitive use can result in them becoming injured (e.g. shin splints from constant running). Overuse injuries will cause particular damage to the ligaments and tendons that support the joints being used.

If there is an imbalance (one muscle is stronger than another) this can result in injury as it will put more strain on one part of the body or muscle group when performing exercises or participating in sport. This can lead to an overuse injury where the body is attempting to counteract the imbalance.

All people are different, which means that what suits one performer may not suit another. Trying to perform skills that are best suited to a particular gender may lead to injury. Typically men tend to be physically stronger and women tend to be more flexible. Therefore they need to be performing activities that best suited to their gender.

The age of an individual will impact on their risk of injury. Typically elderly people are not as strong as younger people. Younger people should also avoid any heavy weight training as their body is still growing. Age groups should not mix when competing in sport and exercises should be adapted to suit the age of the performers.

Different amounts of flexibility can impact the risk of injury. Flexibility can also be influenced by age/gender. The less flexible you are the greater the risk of injury when participating in sport. A performer who is lacking in flexibility is more likely to strain or tear a muscle or sprain a ligament.

Sports performers should eat a healthy, balanced diet containing all main food groups. They need to make sure they have enough energy in their body from food/drink to participate in the sport. Keeping hydrated and eating carbohydrates will keep high energy levels in the body. A lack of vitamins or minerals could lead to weak bones or muscles.

You should make sure you have had enough sleep and rest when exercising and competing in sport. Eight hours a night is recommended. Poor or insufficient sleep can lead to a lack of concentration and focus, poor decision making, decreased motivation and increased irritability or aggression.

Injuries are, unfortunately, pretty common place in sports. Exercises or the sport should not put too much strain on body parts that is susceptible to injury or where injury has occurred previously.

Motivation is the drive to do something. A lack of motivation could mean that performers do not commit themselves fully to their sport. Being overly motivated to win and be successful can increase your chances of injury. For example, a footballer will not pull out of a tackle or could too keen to make rational decisions during a game.

Aggression can lead to a sports person acting in a way that could intentionally cause injury an opponent. This could ultimately lead to them or their opponent getting injured. Poor decisions are often made when a performer is overly aggressive and a lack of control of movement which results in poor technique is also common when angry. 

Arousal is the physiological and psychological level of activation of a performer. Anxiety is the negative emotional state concerned with feelings of stress, worry or nervousness. If a player is anxious or does not have the correct levels of arousal (attention to the sport) then they could make poor/not safe decisions and not be focused fully during the match. If a player is over aroused this could lead to them overexerting themselves or being too committed and becoming aggressive.

Poor posture is achieved if someone has a poor gait (how you walk or run) or holds their body in a poor posture. This is shown if someone bends their knees excessively whilst walking or hunches their shoulders when standing.

The way you sit or lay down can impact on your posture. Adopting a slouched or slumped seating position rather than sitting upright. Sometimes the design of the chair makes it uncomfortable to maintain correct posture.

Muscles will sometimes become weakened. If you have weakened muscles in your core or truck this can result in a muscle imbalance around this area and lead to poor posture.

A lack of exercise will lead to weakened core muscles. This will mean less support for the body. A lack of exercise could also lead to a person becoming overweight. This will also put more strain on the body leading to poor posture.

If you are physically tired and your muscles are not working to their full capacity, they will be unable to support the skeleton effectively.

Having low self esteem or a lack of confidence can influence your posture causing you to hold yourself in a poor posture by slouching or walking with your head down.

The type of clothing and footwear can influence your posture. Wearing high heels or a regular basis can change you posture.

Sometimes people are born with defects in their body which can lead to poor posture. They can also be more susceptible or likely to have back issues if it is something that their parents have suffered from.

The spine will curve and be rounded significantly at the upper (cervical) spine. There will be a forward curvature of the spine which will result in the head being held in a forward posture (chin pokes forward). People with kyphosis will suffer from back pain, stiffness in the spine.

The spine will curve significantly inwards at the lower (lumbar) spine which can push the stomach forwards. People with lordosis will suffer from back pain and may also get numbness and tingling in their lower back due to nerve irritation.

The spine will have a sideways curvature. The spine will often be either S or C shaped and one shoulder will appear higher than the other. People with scoliosis may not be able to stand up straight or bend over properly.

Pelvic tilt is where the pelvis does not sit straight or is higher on one side. The pelvis can tilt backwards (posterior tilt) due to tight lower back muscles or forwards (anterior tilt) due to overstretched back muscles. The pelvis can also tilt sideways (lateral tilt) due to a difference in leg length.

The shoulders will be further forward than normal. The upper spine will also bend forward slightly as well. A person with round shoulder will appear like they have a hunched forward posture. People with round shoulders may suffer from shoulder and neck pain and have stiffness and reduced flexibility in the neck.