Jump Perform

Every female athlete has an Achilles' heel

HER KNEES

All sports people are susceptible to injury, but women run a much higher risk, particularly of knee injuries. The statistics are startling - female athletes in specific sports are four to seven times more likely to injure their knees than men.

The highest incidence of knee injury occurs in sports that involve deceleration, change of direction or landing from a jump such as football, rugby, netball, basketball, hockey, lacrosse and gymnastics.

One of the most frequent and severe lower limb injuries amongst female athletes is an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture. Population studies have shown that female athletes have a 4-7 fold increased risk of sustaining ACL injuries compared to their male counterparts.

The long-term consequences of an ACL rupture can be devastating and result in osteoarthritis, increased risk of further injury and reduced participation in sport.

While these statistics are not well publicised in the UK, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have recognised it as a concern and recently commissioned a report on the incidence of ACL injury in female athletes. The report concluded that the risk of injury can be greatly reduced if coaches incorporate well designed injury prevention strategies into their training program.

Sports Journalist, Anna Kessel is concerned about the high incidence of injuries in female athletes and in a recent Observer article she highlighted that “Prevention programs are easily incorporated into warm-up sessions and can reduce injuries by up to 70 per cent.” It has also been shown that by adopting the injury prevention strategies, coaches can actually improve performance factors, including increasing jump height, increasing power and strength and reducing asymmetry between dominant and non-dominant legs.

JumpPerform introduces evidence based practice to athletes at all levels. It is a training program developed from clinical research trials which have demonstrated that acute knee and ankle injuries can be reduced. This innovative injury prevention program will reduce the physical, emotional and financial burden of an ACL injury and its long-term consequences.

"Recent years have seen an increase in the number of females participating in team sports such as soccer and basketball. From a public health perspective, these observations are extremely positive as it is known that regular exercise and physical activity may enhance aerobic fitness and reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Unfortunately, when compared to males, females participating in team sports involving jumping and cutting manoeuvres are at a considerably higher risk of sustaining an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Injury to the ACL is of particular concern as it may result in significant cost to the public health system and may even cause long-term disability for the injured individual. There is growing scientific evidence indicating that the incidence and severity of ACL injury in female games players can be reduced with the application of appropriate interventions. JumpPerform aims to help bridge the gap between theory and practice. The program is composed of several exercise components, including strength, plyometrics, proprioception, jumping and cutting movement patterns. JumpPerform provides specific training recommendations to help ensure training is appropriately progressed to facilitate long-term improvement in injury risk factors, presented in an easy to follow manner, facilitating applications ‘in the field’."
Dr. John Iga BSc(Hons); CSCS; Ph.D., Medical and Exercise Science Department, Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club

Are you a female sports person playing sports that involve rapid stopping, turning or jumping?

Do you know how to protect yourself from injury and improve your performance?

With a one to one JumpPerform consultation we are able to provide a bespoke service to suit you and your sporting needs. This will include a review of any previous injuries, a biomechanical assessment and implementation of a sport specific injury prevention and performance enhancement program. To arrange a consultation please contact us.

Do you coach sports women and girls?

Are you aware of risk factors for injury and techniques to avoid lost playing time and reduce the risk of injury and improve performance?

Our JumpPerform course is specifically designed for coaches, it aims to give you the strategies you need to reduce the risk of knee injury amongst your female athletes and improve their performance.

We also offer short seminars to raise awareness of the incidence of injury, risk factors and prevention strategies amongst female athletes. These can be held at your club house/school and will be pitched at an appropriate level for the audience.

To find out how we can meet your club needs please contact us.

Are you a Sports Science Teacher?

Would you like to know how reduce the incidence of sports injuries amongst your students?

Our JumpPerform course is specifically designed for teachers and coaches aims to give you the strategies you need to reduce the risk of knee injury amongst your female athletes and improve their performance.

We are also able to provide in house training for sports staff focusing on functional biomechanics, reducing the risk of injury and enhancing performance amongst your students.

For more information please contact us.

Are you the parent of a female athlete?

Do you know how to identify if your daughter is at risk of injury and how she can protect herself from injury?

By raising parental awareness of the incidence of injury amongst female athletes we hope more girls and women can be protected. Please refer your daughter, her friends, coaches and sports science teachers to this site.

If you would like to attend a course or arrange a seminar for your daughter’s team please contact us.

JumpPerform Course for Coaches and Sports Science Teachers

This two day course has been designed specifically for sports coaches who are involved in coaching girls and women in sports such as football, netball, basketball, hockey or rugby, or other sports that involve rapid stopping, turning or jumping. It is ideally suited to those coaches who wish for more in depth understanding of lower limb biomechanics and injury prevention strategies.

The course covers relevant anatomy, biomechanics, movement patterning, and epidemiology, it examines why women are at greater risk of injury, the evidence behind injury prevention strategies and the challenges of delivering an injury prevention program. The course discusses the long and short-term implications of injury for, athlete, coach and team, healthcare provider and the benefits of implementing injury prevention strategies and how to deliver the JumpPerform program. The course has a high practical element.

Click the link to see the Course outline.

We are always looking for venues to host courses and seminars. If you are interested please contact us.

An Introduction to JumpPerform

This 1 hour seminar is an ideal introduction to lower limb injury prevention for coaches, athletes and parents.

It includes an overview of knee anatomy and functional biomechanics, examines why women are at a higher risk injury, discusses the mechanism of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture and long-term consequences of ACL rupture. The seminar concludes with a review of common themes required to reduce the incidence of lower limb injuries and introduces the JumpPerform injury prevention program.

This seminar can be adapted and delivered as part of a larger event in conjunction with other sports and medical professionals.

If you wish to host a JumpPerform seminar please contact us.

Related Articles

References
  • Hewett TE, Ford KR, Myer GD. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in female athletes. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2006; 34:490-498.
  • Hewett TE, Stroupe AL, Nance TA et al. Plyometric training in female athletes. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1996;24:765-773.
  • Lohmander LS, Englund PM, Dahl LL et al. The long-term consequence of anterior cruciate ligament and meniscal injuries: Osteoarthritis. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2007;35:1156-1769.
  • Olsen O, Myklebust G, Engbretsen, L, et al. Exercises to prevent lower limb injuries in youth sports: cluster randomized controlled trial. British Medical Journal. 2005;330: 449-452.
  • Parkkari J, Pasanen K, Mattila V, et al. The risk for a cruciate ligament injury of the knee in adolescents and young adults: a population-based cohort study of 46 500 people with a 9 year follow-up. British journal of Sports Medicine. 2008;42:422-426.
  • Petersen W, Braun C, Bock W, et al. A controlled prospective case control study of a prevention training program in female team handball players: the German experience. Archives of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery. 2005;125:614–621.