Injury being an inevitable part of sports, whether major or minor, makes injury prevention strategies a logical approach to minimising the chances of occurrence. Proper conditioning achieved through a well rounded strength training program addresses any physical vulnerability that may exist, fortifies the athlete's body and reduce the chances of injury. Screening athletes so that a benchmark can be placed on the athlete's current strength and fitness ability is one of many ways a team implements injury prevention protocols. A pre-participation screening quantifies the athlete's ability to move efficiently and effectively as a competitor in his sport. A complete screening is made up of two parts to advise the individual on (1) the physical components of the athlete as well as (2) the fitness components. The physical assessment is a standard protocol and is executed for all athletes regardless of the sport. The fitness assessment is a more tailored approach to specifically target the components needed to perform at the highest level in the sport of interest. For instance, a golfer will not be tested the same way as a rugby player because the expected demands on the body are inherently different.
To follow on from the screening process, a prehabilitation program and/or strength and conditioning program should be created, applying the knowledge and data gathered from the pre-participation screening. By so-doing the returns on the investment (ROI) in such an exercise is maximised (an equally important consideration in the sports industry) and athlete performance can be better controlled. Teams must have systems and programs in place that are sustainable within their budget limitations. However, regardless of how small that budget may be, significant consideration must always be given to athlete health management with a particular emphasis on injury prevention. Otherwise, they risk a season plagued with unpredictability and/or sub-par performances because the body breaks down over time. Conditioning the body does not eliminate the possibility of injury, it reduces it which is the best that any athlete, coach or team can expect. Ensuring that the athlete is always supervised by properly trained specialists is of interest to any athlete, club or association. In Trinidad and Tobago, it is normal to have athletes training under the supervision of more than one team. However, too often it happens that the different teams are not in communication with each other, and the young developing athlete falls victim to conflicting programs. He/she is unable to peak at the right time, recover when needed and eventually the body starts to show signs of breakdown.
As a therapist, I have seen athletes recover from one injury only to fall victim to a completely different and unrelated one, due to mismanagement of the athlete between teams. Understand that therefore, the factors for injury is not limited to the playing field but extended to what should be the safe-haven of their own team. When pre-participation screenings are not done on athletes freshly starting a different team's training program, there is no benchmark to define the most suitable starting point with the athlete, relative to the season's periodised program. The repercussions of such protocol absence are many. Without documentation on the athlete's current condition when commencing training with another club/team, accountability and transparency becomes an issue. There is the risk of over-or under-estimating the athlete's performance ability. Over-estimating the athlete's ability risks pushing the athlete too far beyond his limits and causing injury. Under-estimating is just wasting time. Should an injury occur, the timing of the injury may become a point of contention. Without clear documentation, a team may be able to argue that it was due to an inherited, pre-existing condition. Without pre-existing agreements, the question of which sporting body will be responsible for funding the athlete's recovery will come into play. This becomes an even more sensitive issue should surgery be warranted. There will be psychological repercussions on the athlete who entrusted his health to the particular club/team. Without protocols for injury management combined with properly trained specialists who appreciate the importance of enforcing such protocols, a sports program eventually becomes unsustainable and/or performance standards fall. As it stands, insurance companies look at athletes as red flags and are hesitant to provide coverage due to their own blanket conclusions. Arguably, there currently exists a great need for the existence and/or enforcement of better athlete health management protocols and communication between teams particularly at the club and national team levels. If some emphasis can be placed on this, little by little the quality of care afforded the athlete will improve.
