RESUMEN
Objectives: This project aims to assess opinions, attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, practices and perceived barriers and facilitators of injury prevention (IP) strategies in Swiss basketball teams. Methods: An online survey was sent to athletes, coaches and medical staff of the three best basketball leagues in Switzerland. The survey was subdivided in four sections: (1) characteristic of participants, (2) knowledge, opinions, attitudes and beliefs, (3) practices and (4) barriers and facilitators. Results: Among 105 persons (n=45 female, n=60 male) who answered the survey, more than 60% (n=68) considered the risk of injury for basketball athletes as being high to very high. The ankle, knee and the hand were considered as being the most at risk. More than 80% of participants considered that recovery, training load and the warm-up quality were very important factors for IP. More than 90% of participants considered IP as either important or very important with 53 (50.5%) of the participants indicating using exercise-based IP in their clubs. Athletes and coaches' motivation and compliance were judged as either important or very important for successful IP implementation by more than 80% of participants, with the coach being reported as the most influential person. Environmental barriers towards human or infrastructural resources were also reported as factors influencing IP strategies, namely by female participants. Conclusion: Good knowledge and positive attitude towards IP were reported by participants, but exercise-based IP strategies lack implementation. The coach was considered as the most influential person and was reported with the athletes as playing an important role towards successful implementation.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Exercise-based injury prevention programs for athletes have demonstrated consistent results in reducing the risk of lower limb injuries. Compliance is essential for program effectiveness and may be facilitated when these programs demonstrate positive effects on athletic performance. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: To summarize the findings of current systematic reviews on the effectiveness of lower limb injury prevention programs with multiple neuromuscular components on sports performance and quantify these effects. The authors hypothesized that injury prevention programs can improve certain sports performance criteria. STUDY DESIGN: Umbrella systematic review. METHODS: Systematic reviews published in French, German, or English between January 1990 and January 2020 were identified in five databases. Only articles that investigated multicomponent lower limb injury prevention programs and their effects on the performance criteria of strength, balance, agility, jumping or speed by both amateur and professional athletes of all ages and sex were included. The methodological quality of the included systematic reviews was assessed by two reviewers independently using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews measurement tool. RESULTS: Five systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria. Overall, beneficial effects of multicomponent exercise-based injury prevention programs were observed for balance, agility, jumping and speed. While the effects on strength were more variable, there was a positive trend in favor of injury prevention programs. CONCLUSION: Injury prevention programs with multiple neuromuscular exercise components demonstrate overall beneficial effects on the performance criteria of balance, agility, jumping or speed. These beneficial effects may be used to promote the implementation of such programs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2a.
