What Is Injury Prevention? Moving Beyond Just Luck

Darren Bezzina
Jun 15
2 min read

Injuries in sport are often portrayed as bad luck or just “part of the game.” But modern sports science says otherwise. Most injuries are not random. They’re predictable. And more importantly—they’re preventable.

Injury Prevention Defined

Injury prevention is not just a set of stretches or a list of warm-up exercises. It’s a proactive strategy designed to reduce the risk of injuries before they happen. It includes:

Load management
Strength training
Biomechanical assessment
Recovery and rest
Education and awareness

The Cost of Injuries

Injuries impact more than just performance—they affect confidence, development, and long-term athlete retention. For youth athletes, a single injury can change their entire sports journey. For elite athletes, it can mean the difference between gold and missing out entirely.

And for teams, injury rates are one of the biggest predictors of success or failure in a season.

Why Most Injuries Are Predictable

The “training-injury prevention paradox” tells us something surprising: athletes who train more tend to get injured less—as long as the training is progressive and properly managed.

That’s why monitoring training load is one of the most powerful tools in injury prevention today.

The Tools of Prevention

Modern prevention strategies include:

A good warm-up to reduce the risks of muscle strains
Specific conditioning exercises to prevent poor movement
Jump mechanics assessments to reduce ACL injuries
Balance and proprioception training for ankle and knee stability

And most importantly—educating coaches, athletes, and parents on why prevention matters.

Final Thought

Prevention isn’t a checklist. It’s a mindset. The goal isn’t to eliminate risk (that’s impossible), but to reduce unnecessary harm.

In a sport culture that often celebrates pushing through pain, we need to shift the narrative.

We don’t need tougher athletes.We need smarter systems.

References:

Gabbett, T. J. (2016). The training—injury prevention paradox: Should athletes be training smarter and harder? British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(5), 273–280.
Soligard, T., et al. (2008). Comprehensive warm-up programme to prevent injuries in young female footballers: Cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 337, a2469.