Athlete Development Institute

Seminar Summary:
Avoiding Sports Injuries

Seminar by: Dr John Hurley
Summit Medical Group, Morristown, NJ

Dr Hurley is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports injuries of the knee and shoulder for more than 20 years after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Manhattan College and receiving his medical degree from NYU School of Medicine. 

Dr. Hurley is Team Physician for several universities and high schools in Morris County and a member of advisory boards for the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association Sports Medicine Advisory Board and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of NJ.

An accomplished athlete, Dr. Hurley attended Manhattan College on a full basketball scholarship and Team Captain to Manhattan College’s nationally ranked, top-20 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-Division 1 team. Inspired by his positive experience as an athlete, coach, and father, Dr. Hurley’s goal as a physician is to help other athletes achieve their goals.

 Seminar Highlights
  • Injuries can be classified in two categories:
    • Macro-trauma - usually occurs from sudden impact, often with another player or object
    • Micro-trauma or overuse injuries that occur over time or as a result of repeatedly utilizing improper form. 
  • The overwhelming majority (80-90%) of injuries is of the micro-trauma or overuse variety.
  • Only 10% of all injuries require surgery to repair.
  • The movement and activity in each sport results in common injuries for the participants.  Soccer and Football players have more head and lower extremity injuries, while Swimmers and Baseball players have a much higher percentage of shoulder injuries. 
Extrinsic vs Intrinsic Risk Factors :
The risk factors in sports are both extrinsic and intrinsic.  Over time the extrinsic factors have improved with better safety equipment and rule changes that have been developed to address common previous injuries.

The intrinsic risk factors are varied and numerous including:
  • Previous injury impacting movement
  • Joint alignment of the athlete
  • Neuromuscular control by the athlete
  • Level of Fitness of the athlete
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Hyper-flexibility
  • Level of competition
What can be done to help reduce intrinsic sports injuries while simultaneously improving athletic performance?
  1. View the body as a kinetic chain with the trunk and legs as the core.
  2. Train core muscles, which also improves force generation by 50-60% during peak performance.
  3. Have your individual body movements observed by a trained professional to identify improper form
Most injuries occur from overuse and are presented as stress factures, rotator cuff strain and patella tendonitis.

Injuries usually occur when a workout or activity is changed from the norm such as:
  • Increase in speed
  • Increase in weight used
  • Length of workout
  • Change in the playing surface
  • Change of footwear
  • Weight increase 
Impeding Sports Injuries

Training for both the healthy and injured athlete should focus on four critical areas:
  1. Correcting gait pattern
  2. Increasing flexibility
  3. Developing strength
  4. Training neuromuscular reaction
Prior to performance activity, athletes should use dynamic stretching workouts, as static stretches tend to lengthen the muscle without preparing the muscles for the dynamic movements required in sports. 

Static stretching should be used at the end of a work out or competition as a cool down approach that will also help improve flexibility.  Utilization of static stretching prior to performance has been shown to decrease effectiveness by limiting the rapid dynamic movements needed in sports.

Eccentric strength training workouts improve workloads by as much as 30% compared to concentric training.

Workouts should gradually build up key components of the body:
  1. Strength
  2. Flexibility
  3. Stability of core muscles
  4. Neuromuscular feedback
The key to injury prevention is dynamic neuromuscular training that:
  • Is fast paced, sport specific and based upon sound biomechanics
  • Allows the athlete to control the center of mass
  • Improves balance
  • Provides verbal feedback from a knowledgeable observer (trainer, coach, parent)
  • Improves footwork and stability in changing direction, jumping and landing
  • Increases core strength using a program such as pilates
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Athlete Development Institute
4B Wing Drive
Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927
973-998-5715

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