The Science of Injury Prevention: 17+ Risk Factors Every Athlete Must Know

Injury prevention isn’t just about luck or genetics. It’s about understanding risk—and then stacking the odds in your favor. Whether you're a recreational runner, competitive athlete, or recovering from chronic pain, this guide will help you understand the full scope of what puts your body at risk—and how StrongStrides' Pain-Free Body Blueprint helps you correct it at the source.

🔍 17+ Evidence-Based Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injury

Each of these risk factors is supported by clinical research and forms the foundation of our diagnostics and progression strategies.

1. Previous Injury

• Risk Insight: A prior injury increases the likelihood of re-injury by up to 2–3 times.

• Research: Bahr & Holme, 2003

  If you have a prior injury then ensuring you have complete rehab is essential.  This is where energy leaks and breakdown occurred.  Complete rehab means returning at a higher level with sufficient strength in the tissues and preparation for future demands.  Areas that get repetitively inflamed slow advancement and supporting them provides advancement else the body stops progress. Overcoming injury (pain) is how we improve as athletes. 

2. Asymmetry in Strength or Mobility

• Risk Insight: Side-to-side imbalances greater than 10–15% elevate injury risk.

• Research: Knapik et al., 1991

3. Core Weakness

• Risk Insight: Poor neuromuscular control of the trunk increases lower extremity injury.

• Research: Zazulak et al., 2007

4. Poor Movement Patterns

• Includes valgus collapse, hip drop, lumbar extension, and other compensations.

• Research: Hewett et al., 2005

5. Lack of Dynamic Stability

• Stability is task- and joint-specific. If you can’t control load, you're more likely to overload.

• Research: Leetun et al., 2004

6. Excessive Training Load Increases

• Sharp increases in weekly volume (>10%) increase injury likelihood.

• Research: Gabbett, 2016

7. Low Training Load (Undertraining)

• Ironically, not training enough may make you less resilient.

• Research: Gabbett, 2016

8. Poor Sleep

• <6 hours of sleep increases injury rates by 1.7x in adolescent athletes.

• Research: Milewski et al., 2014

9. Psychological Stress

• High perceived stress impairs recovery and coordination.

• Research: Ivarsson et al., 2017

10. Menstrual Cycle Phase (in females)

• ACL injuries peak during certain hormonal phases.

• Research: Herzberg et al., 2017

11. Age

• Older athletes (>30) show slower tissue repair and reduced neuromuscular control.

• Research: Faulkner et al., 1995

12. Sex

• Female athletes have higher rates of non-contact ACL injuries due to biomechanics and hormonal factors.

• Research: Hewett et al., 2006

13. BMI Extremes (Too Low or Too High)

• Abnormal body composition can increase load on joints or reduce muscle mass.

• Research: Vassiliki et al., 2006

14. Joint Hypermobility

• Too much flexibility without control increases risk of sprains and dislocations.

• Research: Pacey et al., 2010

15. Footwear & Surface

• Poor footwear or sudden surface change (e.g., turf to grass) affects load distribution.

• Research: Nigg et al., 2015

16. Nutrition Deficiency

• Low vitamin D and calcium have been linked to stress fractures.

• Research: Lappe et al., 2008

17. Proprioception Deficits

• Poor balance or delayed muscle firing can cause uncontrolled joint movement.

• Research: Eils et al., 2001

➕ Other Notables:

• Leg Length Discrepancy

• Training Environment (coaching cues, monitoring)

• Low Hip Abduction Strength

• Fatigue & Reaction Time Delay

• Tissue Load Capacity Mismatch

✅ How the Pain-Free Body Blueprint Helps

This course was designed around these known risk factors. We assess your movement, control, and biomechanics with Core Control Diagnostics and tailor your program to systematically improve:

• Neuromuscular control

• Dynamic strength and stability

• Load tolerance

• Recovery behavior

When you train with insight, not instinct, injury prevention becomes performance enhancement.

Ready to build your injury-proof plan?
👉 Join the Pain-Free Body Blueprint