The Injury Prevention Shift towards Robustness
Lecturer: Nicol Van Dyk
SUMMARY
In this masterclass, Nicol Van Dyk discusses the evolving approach to injury prevention in sports, emphasizing a shift towards robustness rather than merely focusing on avoiding injuries. He highlights the importance of understanding the complexities of sports and exercise medicine, noting that traditional methods often remove exposure to risk, whereas in sports, exposure is inherent. Van Dyk outlines the historical models of injury prevention and their limitations, emphasizing a more holistic and integrated approach that combines athletic performance with injury prevention. He stresses the need for programs to be sports-specific, relevant, and supported by coaches to ensure successful implementation and adherence.
Van Dyk also elaborates on the importance of risk management, screening, and rehabilitation in injury prevention. He explains the use of various models and frameworks to understand and address risk factors, the significance of early mobilization and optimal loading in rehabilitation, and the necessity of creating robust athletes capable of withstanding the demands of their sport. He concludes with practical insights into building effective injury prevention programs and highlights the role of physiotherapists in sustaining these efforts beyond the return-to-sport phase, ultimately aiming to create adaptable athletes who can perform at their best.
LECTURER
Nicol van Dyk is a physiotherapist and clinical researcher currently ad astra fellow at the University College Dublin, Ireland. In 2018 Nicol completed his PhD in Health Sciences at Ghent University, Belgium titled “Risk factors for hamstring injuries in professional football players.” During this time Nicol was a physiotherapist at the Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital.