FSHP Academy
Prehab & Rehabilitation — all lessons

Foundations of MSK Rehabilitation

Principles of injury prevention and recoveryBiomechanics and movement analysisUnderstanding pain science and tissue healing

Rehab Exercise Strategies

Progressive loading techniquesProgram design for rehabilitationPhased rehab programming: acute to return-to-performance

Prehab 121 Protocols (intermediate–late stage)

ActivationEarly strengtheningAdvanced strengtheningPlyometrics in rehabilitationReturn-to-sport exercises

Prevention, Surgery and Return to Sport

Injury prevention programmesThe preoperative phase (prehabilitation)Role of criteria-based progressionsReturn-to-sport testingIntegration with strength and conditioning

Case Studies

Case studies and real-world client scenarios

Injury prevention programmes

Evidence-based injury prevention — strength training, neuromuscular warm-ups such as FIFA 11+, Nordic hamstring exercise, load management and implementation.

Intermediate Evidence: Strong evidence 3 min read Reviewed 2026-10-31 Status: draft

Learning objectives

  • Summarise the evidence for injury prevention strategies
  • Implement neuromuscular warm-up programmes
  • Include targeted strengthening (e.g., Nordics, Copenhagen adductors)
  • Plan implementation and adherence

Before this lesson

Why this matters

Many sports injuries are preventable with simple, regular exercise programmes.

Evidence

  • Strength training reduced sports injuries substantially in a meta-analysis; stretching showed no protective effect [lauersen2014].
  • FIFA 11+ (running, strength, plyometric and balance exercises) reduced injuries in young female footballers [soligard2008].
  • Nordic hamstring programmes roughly halved hamstring injuries [vandyk2019].

Programme components

ComponentExamples
StrengthNordics, Copenhagen adductors, single-leg squats
Plyometrics/landingJumps with soft landings, lateral hops
BalanceSingle-leg stance with perturbation
AgilityCutting technique
Load managementAvoid sudden spikes

Population approach

Because screening tests predict individual injuries poorly [bahr2016], apply prevention programmes to everyone.

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Case study

A school football team adopts FIFA 11+ as its warm-up three times weekly. Over a season, coaches track adherence above 80% and report fewer lower-limb injuries than the previous year.

Further learning: video lessons

Video links are only marked “verified” after a human has watched them. Unverified entries open a YouTube search for that channel and topic rather than a guessed link.

Practical demo needs verification — opens a YouTube search

FIFA 11+ warm-up

FIFA Medical (search)

You will understand: the complete 11+ programme

Why: Official programme.
Technical needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Injury prevention evidence

BJSM (search)

You will understand: what prevents sports injuries

Why: Research content.

Knowledge check

Knowledge check · 0/5

1. Soligard et al. (2008) found the FIFA 11+ warm-up in young female footballers…

Answer B. Cluster RCT.

2. A meta-analysis found stretching alone…

Answer B. Lauersen et al. (2014).

3. The Nordic hamstring exercise in prevention programmes…

Answer B. van Dyk et al. (2019).

4. The main barrier to effectiveness is often…

Answer B. Programmes must be used consistently.

5. Should prevention programmes target only “high-risk” screened athletes?

Answer B. Population approach.

Short-answer & application questions

  1. Design a 15-min neuromuscular warm-up for a netball team.
  2. Plan to improve adherence to a prevention programme.
  3. Explain why stretching alone is insufficient.

Key takeaways

  • Strength training is among the most effective injury-prevention interventions.
  • Structured neuromuscular warm-ups (e.g., FIFA 11+) reduce injuries in team sports.
  • Programmes work only if implemented consistently — adherence is key.
  • Apply programmes to whole teams rather than relying on screening.

Connected topics

anatomy

The knee complex

assessment

Limits of movement screens and postural assessment

strength conditioning

Overtraining: recognition and load monitoring

References

  1. Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB (2014). The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(11):871–877. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538 Meta-analysis check pending
  2. Soligard T, Myklebust G, Steffen K, et al. (2008). Comprehensive warm-up programme to prevent injuries in young female footballers: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 337:a2469. RCT check pending
  3. van Dyk N, Behan FP, Whiteley R (2019). Including the Nordic hamstring exercise in injury prevention programmes halves the rate of hamstring injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 8459 athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(21):1362–1370. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-100045 Meta-analysis check pending
  4. Bahr R (2016). Why screening tests to predict injury do not work—and probably never will…: a critical review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(13):776–780. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096256 Narrative review check pending

Educational content only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis or treatment.