Assessments: Possibly the Most Important Aspect of Your Training Program

Core strength: a new model for injury prediction and prevention.

Peate WF, Bates G, Lunda K, Francis S, Bellamy K. J Occup Med Toxicol. 2007 Apr 11;2:3.

OBJECTIVE: Many work in injury prone awkward positions that require adequate flexibility and strength in trunk stabilizer muscle groups. Performance on a functional movement screen (FMS) that assessed those factors was conducted and an intervention was designed.

METHODS: A battery of FMS tests were performed on 433 firefighters. We analyzed the correlation between FMS performance and injuries and other selected parameters. An intervention to improve flexibility and strength in trunk stabilizer or core muscle groups through a training program was evaluated.

RESULTS: The intervention reduced lost time due to injuries by 62% and the number of injuries by 42% over a twelve month period as compared to a historical control group.

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that core strength and functional movement enhancement programs to prevent injuries in workers whose work involves awkward positions is warranted.

Some of my own thoughts: I am a huge fan of assessments, especially assessments which look at how the athlete or client moves. Gaining information about the way in which your athlete/client movements (or how the DON'T move) is extremely valuable because it allows you to determine where things are breaking down, were possible energy "leaks" are in their movement, the quality with which they move and areas that injury may potentially occur.

I use several different tests when I perform an assessment and the things that I have used over the years have sort of evolved as I have learned more or learned better ways to assess things I am looking for. Part of my assessment consists of the 7-test functional movement screen (FMS) as developed by Gray Cook. If you are a strength coach, personal trainer, physical therapist, or anyone that works in the field of sports medicine, I highly recommend Gray Cook's book Athletic Bodies In Balance. It is just about the best $15 you can spend. The book was written for the general public (coaches, trainers and athletes' alike) so it doesn't get to "heady" or overly complicated. The book was written with the athlete in mind, so that the athlete could perform the tests on themselves (which can be tough, as assessing yourself is not always the best way to go), so only 5 of the 7 tests are detailed in the book. Regardless, the book is an excellent resource and will help you really understand movement.

This particular study was of interest to me because it utilized the functional movement screen (and I like to be as evidenced based as possible in my work) to assess firefighters. Because there was a decrease in lost time due to injuries, the authors concluded that a core strengthening program and functional movement training were beneficial to firefighters. The functional movement screen was used in this study to evaluate the firefighters and then they were enrolled into a training program designed by a sports medicine team. The program was designed to emphasize movements of bending, lifting and squatting the firefighters may encounter in a work situation. The firefighters were taught "exercises which help to increase core strength and decrease mechanical load on the affected parts of their musculoskeletal system during ergonomically challenging job tasks".

Aside from injury rates being lowered, the movement screen was also helpful in recognizing movement impairments of firefighters who had suffered injuries. A history of a past musculoskeletal injury lowered a firefighters score by 3.44 points (there is a total of 21 points available on the functional movement screen test). As well, the odds of failing a functional movement screen were 1.68 times greater for firefighters with a history of any injury.

This study gives us an idea of just how powerful a movement screen can be. Often times we get so caught up in performance based tests. What do you bench? What do you squat? What is your 40-time? A important question to ask would be "Why is that your bench/squat/40-time and what can we do to make it better? What are your limiting factors?"

Another thing that you can take away from this study as a strength coach or personal trainer is that, those who have been injured do not move properly! Remember, the body is all connected. Injury in one area can cause problems in another. Increased or decreased movement at one joint; will lead to increased or decreased movement at another joint. As we can infer from this study, those that have had an injury (be it sports injury or work injury) are going to need special attention when it comes to designing their program, as care must be taken to ensure that proper movements are re-learned and understood before progressing to more advanced training.

More on assessments in entries to come!

Patrick

Another Season Begins Where One Season Ends

We were all there at one point in our lives. We all wanted to be a professional athlete of some sort; whether it was a football star, a baseball player, a basketball player or a golfer. We all had dreams and fascinations of running out of the tunnel on Super Bowl Sunday or hitting a home run to win the World Series.

Children these days are no different. Nor should they be! Who are we to take away their dreams and aspirations. The only problem with this is that kids today want to reach that goal so bad, and often times the parents are more gung-ho about it than they are, that they are willing to log long hours playing and practicing in order to force this dream to become a reality. What typically results, aside from a broken dream, is some sort of injury or pain that the child may have to live with their entire life.

There are more sports injuries affecting youth athletes' these days due to the fact that kids now play one sport year round; sometimes, even participating in multiple leagues of the same sport during the same season! While you have to admire their hard work and dedication, the idea that more is better in this case is not the best mantra to live by. Overuse injuries and repetitive strain injuries are common amongst youth athletes because they are trying to do to much. The important thing to remember is that when we play we break down and when we rest, we heal. If we don't rest, then we don't provide out body with ample time to heal and repair the damaged tissue that we have created during our games and practices. Without healing, we leave ourselves open to overuse and overtraining injuries that can not only prevent us from missing our current sports season, but may prevent us from ever playing our sport again.

It is essential that parents and coaches educate their children on the importance of taking time off from their sport, even if that means playing another sport all together. An off-season can not only serve as a time for the body to take a break from the repetitive movements of the sporting season, but also to help increase fitness levels with a proper strength and conditioning program.

The off-season program helps to better prepare the athlete for the increased amounts of work that they are going to have to adapt to throughout the competitive season. The understanding of having an off-season or playing sports other than your primary sport, to help develop athleticism and different skill sets, is understood in many counties. America is one of the only countries were athletes choose one sport at a young age and specialize in only that one sport. This is mainly due to the fact that American sports like football, basketball, and baseball are extremely popular and athletes' in those sports can have very lucrative careers. However, for every athlete that "makes it", there are several millions more than do not. They either don't have what it takes, they suffer an injury, or they have been playing the sport year long since the age of 7 and are just down right sick of it.

We only have one body and to injure it at a young age can be devastating to us when we finally grow into our adult years. We understand that minimal exercise or sport is not good; however, it is overlooked that to much is just as bad. Make sure you educate your children on the importance of rest and taking a break every now and again. Seek out a qualified sports conditioning professional to help your youth athlete develop an off-season and in-season program to ensure that they get the proper training they need to help prevent injury and enhance their performance.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and don't not necessarily reflect the opinions of COR Clinic or is affiliates. Be sure to consult your physician before begining any exercise or fitness program.