Sports Injuries and Prevention

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Waseda University of Japan has a tradition of producing great athletes among its graduates,suchasMikioOda,thefirstJapaneseevertowinanOlympicgoldmedal. Waseda University strongly supports coaching techniques that embody a practical application of the knowledge gained from the fundamental research findings of sportsscience.WasedaUniversityalsotakesprideinprovidingathleteswithmedical carethatutilizesleading-edgesportsmedicineandformulatesmanagementstrategies that combine all these elements. This approach has led to a strong tradition of sports-based research—what we like to call “Waseda Sports”—which has enjoyed an unprecedented level of success. This tradition was enhanced by the Faculty of Sport Sciences in Waseda University in 2009 when they initiated the Global COE (Center of Excellence) Program, entitled “Sport Sciences for the Promotion of Active Life.” The Global COE Program is under the aegis of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology; this Ministry supports the development of international centers of education and research excellence. While life expectancy in Japan is the highest in the world, large-scale societal changes here and elsewhere have led to an increase in health problems due to a decrease in activity and physical fitness. In the aging population, there has been a deterioration of overall health, much of which can be attributed to inactivity and excess body weight. It is especially troubling that similar problems are increasing among children and are associated with severe physical and mental disabilities. The international scope of the above problems provided the impetus for Waseda University to form the Global COE Program. This effort involved the construction of an international hub of education and research specifically designed to develop andencouragetalentedresearcherstocreatesportsprogramsthatwouldcontributeto an active and vital lifestyle. The program emphasizes the development of specialist knowledge in conjunction with a broad understanding and awareness of the diverse world of sports. One of our goals was to focus not just on improving the individual health of mind and body but also to develop an understanding of the conditions present in regions and societies that facilitate such improvements in the lifestyle of individuals.

The sports sciences have created and are extending an important body of knowledge. It is critical that this information be utilized to produce an active, two-wayinteractionbetweentheinvestigatorsandtheactiveparticipantsofsporting events. In order to provide a focus for developing this reciprocal intercommunication, the Global COE Program identified three strategic project themes: (1) Active Children Project, (2)Active Elderly Project, and (3) EliteAthlete Project.The COE Program was proactive in seeking out mature graduate students who were returning to higher education after a period of work, thereby facilitating a meaningful contribution to the formation of academic careers for specialists who were active in the practical domain of sports. Many graduate students from abroad, especially from Asian countries, joined the program and have contributed to our goals via both the creation of academic knowledge and direct participation in the sports relevant to their area of investigation. 

The formal funding for the Global COE Program came to an end in March 2014, but the projects initiated by the program and the activities of the graduates continue unabated. The accomplishments made during the 5 years of the program have been documented in a series of four books with the overall theme of “Sports Science and anActive Life.”We are proud to present this substantial body of research in the following series of books: Vol. 1: Sports Management and Sports Humanities (Kohei Kogiso,DaichiOshimi,MunehikoHarada,Eds.),Vol.2:Physical Activity, Exercise, Sedentary Behavior, and Promoting Health (Satomi Oshima, Zhen-Bo Cao, Koichiro Oka, Eds.),Vol. 3: Sports Performance (Tomoyuki Nagami, JunTsuchiya, Eds.), and Vol. 4: Sports Injuries and Prevention (Tetsuya Ogawa, Mako Fukano, Toru Fukubayashi, Eds.). The series was written by the dedicated faculty members and young graduate students and postdoctoral researchers under the guidance of investigators who took part in the Global COE Program. The series was also contributed to by leading researchers around the world, most of who belong toWaseda University’sresearchinstituteoruniversitypartners.Iappreciatetheircontributions as well as their participation in the Global COE Program. During the 5 years of the program, an international network of individuals and universities doing active research in the area of sports sciences has been established. I expect this network to grow wider and stronger in the future and to contribute to the solution of many of the health problems that plague modern societies.We will all continue to work hard to involve sports activities in the solutions to these problems and in the process aid in advancing the sports activities themselves. 

Finally, I express my appreciation to the editors of each volume, who not only did a fine job of organizing the volumes but also wrote chapters that were important scientific contributions to the overall effort.We would also like to thank the Global COEstafffortheirefficientworkandthekindsupporttheyextendedtothegraduate students. Drs. Larry Crawshaw and Candace S. O’Connor are thanked for their enthusiastic editorial assistance.

As contemporary humans, we benefit from sports in many ways. These include promotion and maintenance of both physical and mental well-being, enhancement of communication with others, and the fostering of a sense of community in the overall society. Moreover, international competition in sports utilizing commonly agreed upon rules can result in a deepening of mutual understanding between people all over the world.This awareness and tolerance can extend beyond cultures andlanguages.Furthermore,throughsports,wecanaddressourultimatepossibilities as human beings. In opposition to these possible advantages, on the other hand is an important matter that must be taken into account. Participating in sports can lead to injuries, and it is necessary to develop an awareness of sports-induced injury incidence. Moreover,thefactremainsthatsuchinjuriescanbepreventedorminimizedthrough appropriate interventions. As a representative example of efforts toward sports injury prevention, over the last decade the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been placing a particular emphasis on the maintenance of health and injury prevention among Olympic athletes. In 2011, the IOC for the first time hosted The IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport and declared a focus of their support on prevention of injury and illness among the athletes. Inanotherexampleontheinternationallevel,in1993theInternationalFederation of Football Associations (FIFA) established the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-Mark) and have been working on the assessment and analysis of injury occurrences in World Cup and other international games. It is considered as crucially important to address injury occurrence based on a common standard worldwide. For prevention, understanding the source and frequency of injuries on the basis of a valid, complete statistical analysis can play a significant role. Since its inception, preventive medicine has brought about a transformation of modern medicine and has been making significant contributions toward prevention of infectious diseases, primarily through vaccination. For the prevention of sportsrelatedinjuriesandillnesses,ontheotherhand,theeffectivenessofsomeapproachessuchasapplicationsofparticulartrainingprogramsandtheuseofmedical checkups before competitions have been recognized as important interventions. Application of appropriate training programs has been found to significantly decrease the incidence of sports-related injuries. In addressing the construction of strategies for sports-related injury prevention in the future, it is essential to promote a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms and risk factors. Throughout this book, the authors provide such information. Current data are presented on the incidence of sports-related injuries, the types of injuries specific to particular sports, and the importance of factors such as age and gender. Possible injury mechanisms and risk factors are presented based on an analysis involving recent scientific findings. The book is composed of seven parts. In the first part, current situations and the general characteristics of sports-related injuries are outlined on the basis of an investigationutilizingstatisticaldatainvolvingalargenumberofpopulations.Inthe following parts, detailed information on the injuries in terms of the types of sports activities, body sites, symptoms, and the relationships among these factors are discussed. Part II, for example, deals with topics on concussion and severe head–neck injuries which occur frequently in rugby and judo. In Parts III and IV, as one of the major sports-related injuries, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are discussed. Beginning with the underlying mechanisms as assessed by using the latest measuring techniques, characteristic features of their occurrence are described.This particular type of sports injury is particularly dependent on gender and occurs much more frequently in females than in males. The backgroundandpossibleinterventionsforpreventionwillbediscussed,particularly among soccer and basketball players. Further, Part IV deals with topics on postoperative (ACL reconstruction) aspects of ACL injuries, especially those related to muscle functions and tendon regeneration in the hamstring muscles. Part Vdealswithmusclestrainandfocusesparticularlyonthoseoccurringinthe hamstring muscles as this muscle group is known as one of the most frequent sites of muscle strain. The occurrence mechanisms in relation to the characteristic features of the muscle group as well as possible intervention for prevention are explained. In Part VI, disorders related to the ankle and foot are introduced. Precise movements of the foot bones and their relationship to the incidence of injuries as well as possible interventions for prevention are discussed. Finally, PartVII provides information on lower back disorders. Included are detailed mechanisms of their incidence, epidemiology, and implications for their prevention. Avarietyofsportsareincludedtoallowthereadertobettergeneralizetheresults as well as to apply appropriate procedures to specific sports. The authors have emphasized basic scientific findings to help the reader gain a broad knowledge of sports injuries. The potential audience includes medical doctors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, coaches, and interested parents. This book is expected to play a prominent role in the construction of training programs for both healthy and injured players. The focus on junior athletes will aid in their education, injury prevention, and increased performance. It will also benefit instructors at the junior and senior high school levels.

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