Can Motor Control Training Lower the Risk of Injury for Professional Football Players?

Abstract

Although there are many factors associated with injuries in AFL, motor control training may provide a useful addition to strategies aimed at reducing lower limb injuries.

Physiology and pathophysiology of low back pain in ballet dancers

“…Further support comes from evidence of the link between muscle CSA and injury in football players. Small multifidus size is predictive of hip/groin/thigh injury in elite football players in the pre-season period (Hides et al 2011b) and small multifidus or quadratus lumborum muscle CSA is predictive of lower limb injury during the season (Hides and Stanton 2014). A specific intervention programme aimed at improving motor control patterns by targeting voluntary contractions of the multifidus, transversus abdominis and pelvic floor muscles with feedback from ultrasound imaging and progressing to a functional rehabilitation programme increased multifidus size and the ability to 'draw-in' the abdominal wall compared to footballers who did not receive this intervention.…”

“…A specific intervention programme aimed at improving motor control patterns by targeting voluntary contractions of the multifidus, transversus abdominis and pelvic floor muscles with feedback from ultrasound imaging and progressing to a functional rehabilitation programme increased multifidus size and the ability to 'draw-in' the abdominal wall compared to footballers who did not receive this intervention. In addition, footballers who completed the intervention programme had lower risk of sustaining a severe lower limb injury (Hides and Stanton 2014) and missed fewer games due to injury during the season ). These data imply that muscle CSA could be used as a screening tool to identify dancers at risk of injury or to monitor the effectiveness of intervention programmes to improve motor control.…”

“…As there is consensus in the literature that these muscles contribute significantly to spinal robustness ) it follows that deficits in function may contribute to injury of spinal structures or recurrent injury and LBP. In addition, as prospective studies on elite footballers have shown smaller multifidus size is predictive of lower limb injury (Hides and Stanton 2014) and associated with increased risk of hip/groin/thigh injury (Hides et al 2011b) it is conceivable that compromised function of these muscles might predispose to injury elsewhere in the kinetic chain.…”

“…Although broad-based screening has been criticized for limited predictive value it does help individuals develop a personal musculoskeletal profile (Gamboa et al 2008) and specific measurements can have prognostic importance (e.g. the relationship between small multifidus size and lower limb injury (Hides and Stanton 2014). The methodology used in this thesis for assessment of muscle morphology (i.e.…”

“…There is also evidence that exercise programs which target these muscles are associated with reduction of symptoms of LBP such as pain and disability (Ferreira et al 2010, O'Sullivan et al 1997, Unsgaard-Tøndel et al 2012, Vasseljen and Fladmark 2010. Furthermore, in a sporting population (elite footballers) an intervention program focussed on the deep trunk muscles was associated with; increased multifidus CSA; improved transversus abdominis function; fewer games missed due to injury , and reduced risk of severe lower limb injury (Hides and Stanton 2014). Implementation of motor control intervention programs to restore deep trunk muscle function in dancers with LBP or to prevent injury in 'at risk' dancers would need to be accompanied by ongoing research to assess the effectiveness of these strategies in this specific and unique population.…”