With extensive experience in assessing, treating, and training young, high performance athletes, Endeavour’s goal was to get an overall snapshot of the injury and movement problems of Squash Ontario’s elite junior players. Over the course of 4 events this year, we assessed 92 players (43 boys and 49 girls) using our one-of-a-kind screening protocol.
Each athlete had every major joint of their body assessed by one of our Sports Physiotherapists, who also investigated every current and previous injury. They were observed using visual and video capture while they performed squatting and jumping movements, and they were evaluated for their multi-directional agility and speed.
After deeper analysis, some important trends were observed that highlight some significant areas of improvement in the Long-Term Athlete Development of the Squash Ontario players:
· 57% of players had Active Injuries at the time of assessment (Boys 69%, Girls 47%)
· 45% of all injuries were localized to the Foot/Ankle/Heel/Achilles
· 22% of all injuries were localized to the Knee
· 66% of players were unable to demonstrate a proper, functional squat
· 81% of players demonstrated poor single leg stability and balance
We look forward to working with Squash Ontario, its coaches, and its athletes, to improve their resilience to injury and movement quality, leading to healthier and higher performing players.
Dan Pringle
Clinic Director & Physiotherapist
dan@endeavourrehab.com