Participation in exercise and sports is essential for physical and psychological well-being. However, sports participation can also lead to injury and illness, often as a result of over exertion or poor sports technique. The main purpose of our research is to develop and test interventions to prevent injury during sports participation and active recreation, and thereby support safe sports as a positive physical activity promotion goal. This could positively impact on population health and reduce both the short- and long-term injury burden on the healthcare system.
Knowledge about the incidence and severity of injury, and about risk factors and injury mechanisms, is the foundation for all sports injury preventive work. Our research includes study on the epidemiology of injuries and illnesses in different sports and settings, as well as the burden and negative consequences of injury to the athlete, sporting organizations and society.
We further evaluate different etiological factors in injury occurrence related to the athlete (such as previous injury, fitness, stress) as well as external factors (for instance playing surface, training and match load, organizational factors) to generate ideas for injury preventive interventions. We then test these interventions on the sporting field, both regarding preventive efficacy and effectiveness, including feasibility and implementation in various sports and populations. We also try to identify factors that facilitate uptake and long-term maintenance of injury preventive measures in sports.
Finally, we are interested in the study of effect mechanisms of various injury prevention exercise interventions to increase our knowledge about how they work to prevent injury. Their effects on sports performance are also studied to increase athlete and coach buy-in of injury prevention exercise programmes.
Knowledge about the incidence and severity of injury, and about risk factors and injury mechanisms, is the foundation for all sports injury preventive work. Our research includes study on the epidemiology of injuries and illnesses in different sports and settings, as well as the burden and negative consequences of injury to the athlete, sporting organizations and society.
We further evaluate different etiological factors in injury occurrence related to the athlete (such as previous injury, fitness, stress) as well as external factors (for instance playing surface, training and match load, organizational factors) to generate ideas for injury preventive interventions. We then test these interventions on the sporting field, both regarding preventive efficacy and effectiveness, including feasibility and implementation in various sports and populations. We also try to identify factors that facilitate uptake and long-term maintenance of injury preventive measures in sports.
Finally, we are interested in the study of effect mechanisms of various injury prevention exercise interventions to increase our knowledge about how they work to prevent injury. Their effects on sports performance are also studied to increase athlete and coach buy-in of injury prevention exercise programmes.
