How and why the risk of injuries cannot be solely reduced to imperfect’ movemen

How and why the risk of injuries cannot be solely (and simplistically) reduced to ‘imperfect’ movements. In fact, it’s such a complex topic, influenced by a myriad of factors that go beyond just how an exercise is executed.

We can differentiate between “Internal factors” such as age, sex, nutrition, stress, sleep, mood, and previous injuries, but also external ones, such as the variables of our training programming and sports that we play.

Yet, all over social media you see coaches often emphasize ‘faulty mechanics’ to be the main issue. Do an exercise like this to “avoid stress on the joints, because”….. non-sense.

Stuff like knees caving in, or excessive forward tracking of the knees during squats. Without any sort of context.

Interestingly, if we take a look at the research we can see that these are not definitive predictors of injury. For example, as squat depth increases, the adductor Magnus muscle’s role also increases, suggesting that some knee valgus is normal. Additionally, lumbar flexion is a natural part of many activities, and active individuals often have healthier spines than those who are sedentary, despite their spines moving beyond 35% during compound exercises.

Overall, it’s important to consider the context when assessing risk. Single exercises or techniques do not inherently increase injury risk without considering the load and the body’s capacity, experience, sport, and time spent exposing the tissues to those particular movements. It depends!

With that said however, despite injury rates in strength sports are generally low, they can still occur. This doesn’t mean training should cease; on the contrary, strength training is a key injury-preventive measure and should be performed by all populations, regardless of age!