The Role of Workload Management in Injury Prevention, Athletic, and Academic Performance in the Student-Athlete

Workload plays important roles in sports-related injury and athletic performance by influencing exposure to external injury risk factors and potential events, promoting changes in fitness level, which involves positive adaptations to training that may lead to improved performance, and/or stimulating fatigue which leads to negative effects in the body that may increase the risk of injury and negatively affect performance. In addition to the physical stress and significant time required for practice and training, student athletes also face subjective stressors. The total workload affects injury risk, but acute changes or spikes in external and/or internal loads seem to affect injury risk the most. These also may lead to poor recovery practices that may affect physical and academic performance. It is important for the medical team, coaches, parents, and the student athlete to understand the vulnerability of this population to increased amounts of workload and its positive and negative effects.