Vakgroep Menselijke fysiologie (MFYS)

Sport injury prevention has evolved enormously in the last decade. Given the increase in sport participation and the coupled increase in sport injuries, scientists developed models to understand sport injuries and injury prevention programs were designed. This led to a limited decrease in injury incidence, thereby confronting the researchers with the complexity of sport injury mechanisms. Together with the increased understanding of human brain functioning in recent years, this led to the assumption that there are central factors involved in sport injuries that are not well understood to date. These central aspects can be important prior to the injury, being an intrinsic risk factor, but can also manifest at the time of the inciting event. This is a new domain that needs to be explored and it requires a good understanding of the human brain.
Prior research in our department focused on injuries in the lower extremity and has led to the implementation of ankle injury prevention in basketball and the development of jump landing analysis and training in  repetitive jump sports.  This highlighted the specific interaction between muscles and the brain, or what is commonly described as “neuromuscular control”. 
The first steps in understanding this specific relation of the brain in sports and sport injuries are currently being taken. This research line focuses on the central fatigue and cognition in relation to sports injury prevention.