5 Exercises That Work to Prevent Sports Injuries

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Article featured on Florida Sports Injury & Orthopedic Institute

Prevent Sports Injuries: Why These Exercises Work

Prevent sports injuries before they happen. Over 8.6 million athletes get hurt each year in the US. Research from the National Institutes of Health shows you can cut injury risk by 50% with targeted training. Prevention keeps you in the game.

This guide shows five proven exercises. Each one builds strength in vulnerable areas. You’ll target ACL tears, hamstring strains, groin injuries, and rotator cuff damage. Better stability, mobility, and control come with regular practice. These moves help you prevent sports injuries effectively.

Professional athletic trainers use these exercises worldwide. The moves are backed by sports medicine research. Athletes who follow prevention programs stay healthier. They perform better throughout their careers. Start today to prevent sports injuries in your training.

1. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift for Hamstring Injury Prevention

Prevents ACL Tears • Hamstring Strains • Ankle Sprains • Improves Balance

How This Exercise Helps Prevent Sports Injuries

The single-leg Romanian deadlift works well to stop hamstring injuries. It strengthens your posterior chain muscles. It also fixes muscle imbalances between your left and right sides. The balance part boosts proprioception. This helps you prevent sports injuries like ankle sprains and ACL tears in soccer, basketball, and tennis.

Research in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy shows single-leg exercises cut injury risk. Every athlete should include single-leg work in their routine to prevent sports injuries.

Step-by-Step Exercise Technique

  1. Starting Position: Stand on one leg with a slight knee bend. Additionally, engage your core muscles.
  2. Hip Hinge: Hinge at your hip while keeping your back straight. Moreover, maintain a neutral spine throughout.
  3. Leg Extension: Lower your torso forward. Meanwhile, extend the opposite leg behind you for balance.
  4. Reach Down: Reach toward the ground with your hands. However, keep your spine neutral at all times.
  5. Return: Drive through your standing heel to return upright. Then, squeeze your glutes at the top.
  6. Hip Alignment: Keep your hips square during the entire movement. Therefore, avoid any rotation.

2. Copenhagen Plank for Groin Strain Prevention

Prevents Groin Injuries • Hip Flexor Strains • Core Instability

Prevent Sports Injuries with Copenhagen Planks

Groin strains affect 23% of soccer players yearly. These injuries keep athletes out for weeks or months. The Copenhagen plank targets your adductor muscles directly. It builds strength and endurance in these often-ignored muscles. This exercise is key to prevent sports injuries in the groin area.

Studies in the British Journal of Sports Medicine prove this exercise cuts groin injury risk by 41%. It’s now standard in programs worldwide to prevent sports injuries. Regular practice improves hip stability for cutting and lateral moves.

Proper Copenhagen Plank Form

  1. Setup: Position yourself sideways first. Then, elevate your top foot or ankle on a bench at knee height.
  2. Leg Position: Extend your bottom leg forward. Alternatively, stack it under the top leg for a harder variation.
  3. Upper Body: Support your upper body on your forearm. Specifically, place your elbow directly under your shoulder.
  4. Engagement: Engage your adductors to lift your hips up. Additionally, create a straight line from head to toe.
  5. Hold: Maintain this position with a tight core. However, avoid any sagging or rotation of your body.

3. Banded Terminal Knee Extensions for ACL Injury Prevention

Prevents ACL Tears • Patellofemoral Pain • Knee Instability

Terminal Knee Extensions to Prevent Sports Injuries

Your vastus medialis oblique (VMO) muscle keeps your knee stable. It often becomes weak after injury. Terminal knee extensions target this muscle precisely where it matters most. They work the final range of motion that protects your knee joint. This move is essential to prevent sports injuries in the knee.

Research from physical therapy experts shows VMO activation stops ACL injuries. This exercise is now standard in ACL prevention and rehab programs. You can do it daily to prevent sports injuries because it creates minimal fatigue while building crucial strength.

Terminal Knee Extension Technique

  1. Band Setup: First, loop a resistance band around a sturdy post at knee height.
  2. Position: Then, step into the band. Specifically, position it behind your knee joint.
  3. Starting Position: Begin with your knee slightly bent. Specifically, aim for about 20-30 degrees of flexion.
  4. Extension: Next, fully extend your knee against the band’s resistance. Make sure to lock out completely.
  5. Squeeze: Additionally, squeeze your quadriceps at full extension. Hold this for 1-2 seconds, focusing on the inner quad.
  6. Control: Finally, control the return to starting position while maintaining tension throughout.

4. 90/90 Hip Mobility Flow for Lower Body Injury Prevention

Prevents IT Band Syndrome • Hip Impingement • Knee Injuries

Hip Mobility Work to Prevent Sports Injuries

Limited hip mobility creates problems throughout your body. It forces your knees and lower back to compensate. This leads to IT band syndrome, hip impingement, and knee injuries. The 90/90 hip mobility exercise fixes both internal and external rotation issues. Better hip mobility helps you prevent sports injuries effectively.

Improved hip mobility is vital for runners and cutting sport athletes. Research shows poor hip mobility causes most overuse injuries. Daily hip mobility work can dramatically cut your injury risk. It also improves athletic performance in multidirectional movements. Make this part of your plan to prevent sports injuries.

90/90 Hip Mobility Exercise Form

  1. Starting Position: First, sit on the floor with both knees bent at 90-degree angles.
  2. Leg Alignment: Position your front shin parallel to your body. Meanwhile, place your back shin perpendicular.
  3. Posture: Keep your torso upright throughout. Additionally, engage your core and maintain a neutral spine.
  4. Forward Lean: Lean forward slightly over the front leg. This will increase the hip stretch effectively.
  5. Transition: Smoothly transition to the opposite side. Specifically, rotate both legs together in one fluid motion.
  6. Breathing: Pause briefly in each position. Moreover, take deep breaths to help deepen the stretch.

5. Y-T-W Shoulder Series for Rotator Cuff Injury Prevention

Prevents Rotator Cuff Tears • Shoulder Impingement • Throwing Injuries

Y-T-W Exercises to Prevent Sports Injuries

Shoulder injuries are common in overhead athletes. Rotator cuff tears and shoulder impingement cause major time away from sport. The Y-T-W shoulder series strengthens all stabilizing muscles around your shoulder blade and rotator cuff. These moves help you prevent sports injuries in the shoulder area.

This exercise builds the base for safe overhead and throwing movements. Sports medicine specialists say rotator cuff work is vital for baseball, softball, tennis, swimming, and volleyball athletes. Add this series to your routine to prevent sports injuries before they occur. It fixes common muscle imbalances in overhead sports.

Y-T-W Shoulder Exercise Technique

Y Position for Rotator Cuff Strengthening: First, lie face down or stand bent at the hips. Then, extend your arms overhead at 45-degree angles to form a Y shape. Next, lift your arms with thumbs pointing up toward the ceiling. Finally, squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top position for maximum engagement.

T Position for Shoulder Stability: Starting from the same position, extend your arms straight out to the sides to form a T shape. Additionally, lift with your thumbs pointing up. Moreover, actively retract your shoulder blades throughout. Therefore, focus on engaging your mid-back muscles during the entire movement.

W Position for External Rotation: Again, start from the same position. However, bend your elbows to 90 degrees with your upper arms at your sides. Then, externally rotate to bring your forearms up parallel to the ground. Furthermore, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades down and together. Meanwhile, maintain your elbow position throughout the movement.

How to Prevent Sports Injuries: Implementation Guide

Add These to Your Training

Do these moves as part of your warm-up routine. Do them before practice or games. You can also dedicate 15-20 minutes on recovery days. Consistency matters more than intensity. Regular practice gives you better results to prevent sports injuries than occasional hard sessions.

Progress Slowly

Start with bodyweight or light resistance first. Focus on perfect form initially. Increase volume (more sets or reps) before adding weight. Add resistance only after you master the basics. Try harder variations only after perfecting the basic movement. Never sacrifice form for progression when working to prevent sports injuries.

Recovery Protocol

When recovering from injury, add these exercises under professional guidance. Work with a physical therapist or athletic trainer. Start at 50% of normal volume typically. Progress based on pain symptoms and healing timeline. Follow professional recommendations carefully. Proper guidance ensures safe recovery and helps prevent sports injuries in the future.

Get Professional Help

These moves are evidence-based and generally safe. Some situations need professional input though. See a sports medicine physician if you have existing injuries. Talk to a physical therapist or certified athletic trainer for chronic pain conditions. Professional guidance ensures proper technique and helps you prevent sports injuries effectively.

The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon

The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon (OSM) is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic and sports medicine practice serving Lake Oswego, Portland, Scappoose, and surrounding Oregon communities. Our main clinic is located in Lake Oswego, with additional locations in Portland and Scappoose.

OSM provides comprehensive orthopedic care, sports medicine, spine care, joint replacement, foot and ankle surgery, hand and upper extremity care, and fracture treatment. Our physicians treat a wide range of conditions including sports injuries, arthritis, joint pain, spine conditions, ligament and tendon injuries, fractures, and degenerative musculoskeletal disorders using both surgical and nonsurgical approaches.

Our mission is to help patients return to pain-free movement, strength, and function through personalized treatment plans and advanced orthopedic techniques.

OSM Locations

Lake Oswego (Main Clinic)
17355 Lower Boones Ferry Rd, Suite 100A
Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Portland
5050 NE Hoyt St, Suite 668
Portland, OR 97213

Scappoose
51385 SW Old Portland Rd, Suite A
Scappoose, OR 97056

Phone: 503-224-8399
Hours: Mon–Thurs, 8:00am–4:30pm/ Friday 8:00am–1:00pm

If you are looking for experienced orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine specialists, spine doctors, or foot and ankle experts in Lake Oswego, Portland, or Scappoose, contact The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon today.