The Domino Effect: That old ankle sprain? It's not just ancient history
How to build a program to decrease your injury risk part 1
Building your program is difficult especially when you keep getting injured. The first thing you need to think about is where you start.
Within this article, you will learn the following:
Why your previous injury is the most important thing to consider
The Main problem may be caused by something from your past
How your injury history can be a guide to current problems
Why your injury history may guide you on what you need to start working on
Why start with injury history?
Your past leaves clues to the problem. This is where your past injury history is the starting point for any program.
Research within injury prediction is very clear, injury history predicts reinjury. An example is in ACL tears. If you have torn your ACL previously you have a 23% chance of doing it again, with a 21% chance of doing it on the other leg.
This applies to most injuries, particularly the lower limb. Panning across your lifetime. A broken ankle at 14, will definitely be affecting you as your progress and grow. The same is seen with ankle injuries and hamstring strains.
So look back at the past and start making a list.
Injury History and the knock-on effect
Repeated injuries may not be at the injury site. You often see people who have worked on the site to death. It's strong and powerful, and you can get into positions that people dream of, yet it still is a major problem.
World Class Coach Dan Pfaff uses the phrase what else, where else. (if you want to learn more about this philosophy see here https://altis.world/).
From the research, injury history can have a big knock on effect. A ankle injury at 16, may alter your running mechanics, which can load other parts of your body. Individuals who have these types of injuries often have problems on the other side of the body. Or problems higher/lower than the injury site.
Injury history: the place to start
So as I have outlined looking at your past is the best place to start.
Get that pen and paper out and start thinking about your past.
It does not matter how far you go back as it may play a part.
That ankle injury at 16, an operation on your shoulder at 18. These things are a great place to start. Guiding you through your injury-prevention journey.
Summary
Injury History predicts the risk of sustaining another injury
Previous injuries may be causing other problems elsewhere in the body
It's the place to start and solving them may help with your current problems
