Kati Pasanen

• PT MSc PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Calgary

Purpose To investigate whether six selected anatomical variables were associated with non‐contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in female team sport athletes. Methods Two hundred eighty‐seven female athletes (age 13–38 at baseline) from basketball, floorball, ice hockey and volleyball completed a baseline physical examination, including...

Purpose : Maximal muscle strength is often assessed with single-joint or repetition-maximum testing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of countermovement-jump (CMJ) velocity–load testing and assess the relationship between CMJ velocity–load kinetics and concentric–isometric–eccentric multijoint leg-extension strength tested...

Background: Muscle strength asymmetry and athlete introspective measures are associated with musculoskeletal (MSK) sport injury and reinjury. However, the interrelationship between mechanical and subjective measures of concentric and eccentric limb function needs further exploration. This includes investigating if an athlete’s perception of their o...

Purpose Previous studies have shown delayed cardiac vagal reactivation after high-intensity endurance exercise when estimated with heart rate variability (HRV). However, the recovery dynamics of RR intervals (RRI) and HRV after a maximal incremental exercise test have been studied less in non-athletic population and especially in females. The main...

This study assessed the between-day reliability of change of direction (COD) biomechanics and speed in youth soccer players using inertial measurement units (IMUs) and high-speed video. A soccer-specific COD test including a 180° pivot turn was performed in both directions by 15 elite female (age: 15.3 ± 0.6 years; height 162.6 ± 5.5 cm; body mass:...

McClean, ZJ, Pasanen, K, Lun, V, Charest, J, Herzog, W, Werthner, P, Black, A, Vleuten, RV, Lacoste, E, and Jordan, MJ. A biopsychosocial model for understanding training load, fatigue, and musculoskeletal sport injury in university athletes: A scoping review. J Strength Cond Res 38(6): 1177–1188, 2024—The impact of musculoskeletal (MSK) injury on...

Objective This study aims to investigate the efficacy of two exercise interventions in reducing lower extremity (LE) injuries in novice recreational runners. Methods Novice runners (245 female, 80 male) were randomised into hip and core (n=108), ankle and foot (n=111) or control (n=106) groups. Interventions were completed before running and inclu...

Objective To evaluate best practices for neuromuscular training (NMT) injury prevention warm-up programme dissemination and implementation (D&I) in youth team sports, including characteristics, contextual predictors and D&I strategy effectiveness. Design Systematic review. Data sources Seven databases were searched. Eligibility The literature se...

Background The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Scientific Commission has supported collating and sharing evidence globally by developing sports medicine consensus statements (‘Statements’'). Publishing the Statements requires substantial resources that must be balanced by use and impact on policy and practice. This study aimed to...

Background The burden of musculoskeletal injuries and concussions is high in adolescent tackle football. Primary prevention strategies including neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up programs have yet to be investigated in Canadian adolescent tackle football, but show promise given the 30–60% injury reduction in other team contact and collision spor...

Background Youth ice hockey is a popular, fast-paced, collision sport with a high participation rate. Objective To describe upper extremity (UE) injury rates, types, severity, mechanisms, and risk factors in youth ice hockey players. Design Secondary analysis of data from a 5-year prospective cohort study (2013–2018). Setting Canadian youth ice...

Background The burden of injury in tackle football is high and the growing popularity of the sport in Canada warrants research into the extent of the problem. Objective To investigate injury rates, types, burden, mechanisms, and risk factors in Canadian youth football. Design a cohort sub-study within the SHRed Concussions study. Setting & Parti...

Background Change of direction (COD) performance is an important discriminator of elite players in youth soccer and is also associated with common mechanisms of injury.Previous research has shown that the requirement for high-speed running, total distance and CODs are position specific, but little is known about the situational factors involved in...

Background Few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated effectiveness of training interventions on prevention of running-related injuries. Objective To investigate the effectiveness of two strength training programs on reducing the risk of lower extremity (LE) injury in novice runners. Design Three-arm RCT Setting Recreational sport...

Introduction Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a major concern in team sports, leading to player unavailability and long-term health issues. Despite existing prevention programs, real-world ACL injury rates remain elevated, prompting the need for further investigation. Biomechanics plays a pivotal role in ACL injury risk, with resistanc...

Sufficient muscle strength is suggested to reduce frontal plane knee loading during change of direction maneuvers. However, it is currently not thoroughly understood if lower extremity strength is associated with increased frontal plane knee biomechanics during change of direction in youth female team sport players. The objective of this cross-sect...

OBJECTIVE: To examine modifiable and nonmodifiable factors for associations with dance-related injury among preprofessional ballet dancers over 5 academic years. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Full-time preprofessional ballet dancers (n = 452; 399 female; median age [range], 15 years [11-21]) participated across 5 academic years at a vo...

Change of direction (COD) maneuvers in soccer create tactical advantages, but also expose the player to an increased risk of injury. COD ability is commonly tested with pre-planned drills including cuts greater than 90°. These tests do not take into consideration positional differences players encounter during games. This case-series study used pri...

Introduction: Wearable technology (WT) has become common place in sport. Increased affordability has allowed WT to reach the wrists and bodies of grassroots and community athletes. While WT is commonly used by sport populations to monitor training load, the use of WT among dancers and dance teachers is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study...

Objective: To describe shoulder-related injury rates (IRs), types, severity, mechanisms, and risk factors in youth ice hockey players during games and practices. Design: Secondary analysis of data from a 5-year prospective cohort study, Safe-to-Play (2013-2018). Setting: Canadian youth ice hockey. Participants: Overall, 6584 player-seasons (...

Objectives: Pre-professional dance is high-risk, with injury incidence up to 4.7 injuries/1000 dance hours. Pre-season screening measures have been utilized to assess risk factors for dance-related injury, however normative values haven't been established for a pre-professional ballet population. The purpose of this study was to establish normativ...

The aim of this study was to assess center of mass (COM) acceleration and movement during change of direction (COD) maneuvers during a competitive soccer game to elucidate situation-specific demands of COD performance. This information can assist in developing soccer-specific tests and training methods. Fifteen elite-level female youth soccer playe...

While the general reliability of the Y balance test has been previously found to be excellent, earlier reviews highlighted a need for a more consistent methodology between studies. The purpose of this test–retest intrarater reliability study was to assess the intrarater reliability of the YBT using different methodologies regarding normalisation fo...

This study aimed to examine the utility of inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology to identify angle, step-specific, and side-specific differences between youth soccer players with and without a history of lower limb injury during soccer-specific field tests. Thirty-two youths (mean age 16.4 years) who were elite soccer players (Females n = 13,...

Background: The isokinetic dynamometry is considered a gold standard in muscle strength testing. The reliability of lower limb isokinetic strength measurements has not been thoroughly evaluated. Objective: To examine the test-retest reliability of isokinetic ankle plantar and dorsiflexion, ankle inversion and eversion, knee extension and flexion...

Background Research evidence is commonly compiled into expert-agreed consensus statements or guidelines, with an increasing trend towards their publication in peer-reviewed journals. Prominent among these has been the publication of several International Olympic Committee (IOC) tatements to help inform sport and exercise medicine (SEM) practice. Th...

Objectives Research evidence is commonly compiled into expert-informed consensus guidelines intended to consolidate and distribute sports medicine knowledge. Between 2003 and 2018, 27 International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statements were produced. This study explored the policy and practice impact of the IOC Statements on athlete health a...

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors associated with nonresponse to neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up programs among youth exposed to NMT warm-ups. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of youth (aged 11–18 years) in the intervention groups of 4 randomized controlled trials in high school basketball, youth community soccer, and junior high school phy...

Introduction: Pre-professional ballet dancers are at high-risk for injury, with injury rates ranging from 1.4 to 4.7 injuries/1000 dance-hours. In dance injury epidemiology, multi-year studies are limited, and findings are inconsistent. Thus, the extent to which injury estimates range from year to year in a pre-professional ballet program is curre...

Background. Youth around the globe place their shoulders at risk for injury when participating in sports. Shoulder injuries may vary in severity, produce the potential for time-loss from sport, and result in functional disability. We sought to explore sport-related shoulder injuries in youth by identifying injury rates, risk factors, injury mechani...

Introduction: Neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up programs can reduce injury risk among youth, but some individuals do not respond to NMT warm-up programs as well as the average participant. Aim: Factors predicting the response to NMT in reducing injury risk are unknown, making this the aim of the study. Materials and methods: This is a secondar...

The aim of this study was to investigate physical fitness, football‐specific skills and their association with injury risk in youth football. Altogether 447 male and female players aged 9 to 14 years (median 12 years) participated in performance tests and prospective follow‐up. The physical fitness tests included five‐jump test for distance, 30‐m s...

Objectives To investigate relationships between load tolerance of single leg isometric knee extension and athlete reported knee pain location and severity during the single leg decline squat (SLDS). Design Cross-sectional study Methods 175 college basketball athletes (99 women, 76 men) in Alberta, Canada participated in this study at the start of...

Lateral ankle sprains are a commonly incurred injury in sports. They have a high recurrence rate and can lead to the development of persistent injury associated symptoms. We performed a quantitative synthesis of published case reports documenting the kinematics of acute lateral ankle sprains and episodes of 'giving-way' of the ankle joint to provid...

Introduction Neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-ups are effective in reducing injury risk in youth. Factors predicting the response to NMT in reducing injury risk are unknown, making this the objective of the present study. Materials and Methods This is a secondary analysis of the intervention groups of randomized controlled trials evaluating NMT w...

Background The identification of risk factors for sports injuries is essential before injury prevention strategies can be planned. Hypothesis Previous acute knee injury and lower perceived knee function measured by Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) will increase the risk of acute knee injury in youth team-sports athletes. Study...

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a neuromuscular training warm-up prevention program, Surveillance in High school and community sport to Reduce (SHRed) Injuries Basketball, for reducing all-complaint ankle and knee injuries in youth basketball players. Design: Quasi-experimental study. Methods: High school/club basketball teams (mal...

This study examined the impact of high adherence to a neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up on the risk of lower extremity (LE) injuries in children’s soccer. Twenty U11–U14 youth clubs (n = 92 teams, 1409 players) were randomized into intervention (n = 44 teams) and control (n = 48 teams) groups. The intervention group was advised to perform an NMT...

Change of direction movement is common in sports and the ability to perform this complex movement efficiently is related to athlete's performance. Wearable devices have been used to evaluate aspects of change of direction movement, but so far there are no clear recommendations on specific metrics to be used. The aims of this scoping review were to...

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up on the prevalence of overuse lower extremity (LE) injuries in children’s football. Twenty Finnish U11-U14 youth football clubs (n=1409 players; females 280, males 1129; age range 9-14) were randomised into intervention and control groups containing 10 cl...

Objectives: To describe injury and concussion rates and mechanisms in female high school rugby players. Design: Two-year prospective cohort study. Setting: High school rugby. Participants: Participants included 214 female High school rugby players (year 1) and 207 female High school players (year 2) from the Calgary Senior High School Athlet...

Background A high incidence of overuse knee injuries among youth basketball players may be attributed to improperly-managed jump load. Inertial measurement units are effective for counting jumps compared to traditional methods, but devices with a minimum threshold may underestimate total load. Objective To compare jump counts from a commercially-a...

Background The IOC Sports Medical and Scientific Commission has supported the development and dissemination of sports medicine consensus statements for athlete health. Evidence on the relevance and dissemination of these statements is important for the development of future statements. Objective The objective of this project was to investigate the...

Background The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Scientific Commission has a goal to provide guidance on athlete health for sports organisations. One strategy to meet this goal has been the development and publication of sports medicine consensus statements. It is currently unknown if there has been use of the consensus statements o...

Background One of the goals of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Scientific Commission is to provide guidance in relation to injury prevention and the protection of athlete health. One way of meeting this goal is the development and dissemination of sports medicine consensus statements. It is not known if, or how, these consensu...

Background There have been 27 consensus statements published under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Scientific Commission with a goal of contributing to the mission of injury prevention and protection of athlete health. The success of these statements in achieving this goal has not been evaluated. Knowledge management (KM) cons...

Background The IOC Medical and Scientific commission’s mission is to provide a guiding reference for sports organisations on issues relating to the protection of the health of athletes. One strategy to achieve this mission is through supporting the development of consensus statements. Objective This study investigates the relevance and disseminati...

Background Youth around the globe place their shoulders at risk for injury when participating in sports. Shoulder injuries may vary in severity, produce the potential for time-loss from sport, and result in functional disability. Objective To explore youth sport-related shoulder injuries by identifying injury rates, risk factors, injury mechanisms...

Background Current scientific evidence reveals that overuse injuries may be more prevalent in youth basketball players than previously reported. Many basketball injuries result from gradual onset overuse mechanisms associated with pain, but not resulting in absence from basketball participation. Objective To determine the season prevalence and bur...

Background The efficacy of neuromuscular training (NMT) programmes has been extensively documented; however, little is known about the best strategies to translate them into practice. Objective To compare the effects of a supervised vs. unsupervised implementation of an NMT warm-up programme on team adherence and injury risk in youth basketball pl...

Background Studies investigating biomechanical risk factors for knee injuries in sport specific tasks are needed. Objective To investigate association between change of direction (COD) biomechanics and knee injury risk among youth team sports. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Youth basketball and floorball. Participants 258 female and m...

Background Workshops are used to educate coaches on Neuromuscular Training (NMT) warm-ups to reduce the risk of youth sport injury. Currently, there is no research assessing different learning strategies and its influence on coaches’ self-efficacy and knowledge after attending a workshop. Objective To evaluate whether a peer-to-peer (P2P) learning...

Background Studies evaluating the effectiveness of neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up programmes in reducing knee and ankle injuries in youth basketball are sparse and specifically, the effect of NMT warm-up programmes on patellar and Achilles tendinopathy is unknown. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of NMT warm-up programme in reducing t...

Background Research on change of direction movement (COD) has focused on factors related to performance and injury prevention or rehabilitation. Wearable devices are used to evaluate accelerations and angles during COD movement, but so far there are no clear recommendations on specific metrics to be used. Objective To evaluate the reliability and...

Neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up programs are effective in reducing injury rates in youth team sports, including basketball, with greater adherence improving their effectiveness in preventing injuries in sport. To understand player adherence to a SHRed Injuries Basketball NMT (SIB NMT) warm-up, we developed and utilized an observational tool to...

This study aimed at evaluating the burden and risk factors of patellar and Achilles tendinopathy among youth basketball players. Patellar and Achilles tendinopathy were prospectively monitored in 515 eligible male and female youth basketball players (11–18 years) through a competitive season. Overall, the season prevalence of patellar tendinopathy...

Context: Causes of anterior knee pain (AKP) in jumping athletes include patellofemoral pain and patellar tendinopathy. Differential diagnosis of AKP is challenging, with variation in clinical presentations. No previous research has used pain location to describe AKP in basketball athletes. Objectives: To describe the prevalence and pain distribu...

Background: Studies investigating biomechanical risk factors for knee injuries in sport-specific tasks are needed. Purpose: To investigate the association between change of direction (COD) biomechanics in a 180-degree pivot turn and knee injury risk among youth team sport players. Study design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A...

Background: Canadian rugby coach injury prevention beliefs and attitudes have not been studied, yet are key to informing injury prevention strategy implementation. Despite neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up success in reducing injury, adoption of these programs is variable. Therefore, objectives of this study included (1) describing Canadian yout...

Background Prevention of sports injuries is essential in youth, as injuries are associated with less future physical activity and thus greater all-cause morbidity. Purpose To investigate whether a neuromuscular training warm-up operated by team coaches is effective in preventing acute lower extremity (LE) injuries in competitive U11-U14 soccer pla...

Lateral ankle sprains are highly prevalent during sporting activities, as it accounts for approximately 60% of all athletic injuries. There is currently a paucity of research which provides kinetic and kinematic assessments of sprains and giving-way episodes of the ankle joint. The aim of this case study was to examine the kinetics and kinematics o...

Introduction: Regular use of neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up programs improves performance and prevents injuries. However, low level of adoption of these programs remains a problem. Understanding the current warm-ups in youth basketball and coaches' perceptions on injury prevention can guide the design of superior implementation strategies. Th...

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the association between pelvic kinematics during the standing knee lift (SKL) test and low back pain (LBP) in youth floorball and basketball players. Design A prospective cohort study. Setting Finnish elite youth floorball and basketball players. Participants Finnish elite youth female and male...

Objectives To investigate lower extremity muscle strength as risk factor for an acute ankle injury in youth athletes. Design Cohort study. Setting Basketball and floorball clubs. Participants 188 youth (≤21) male and 174 female athletes. Main outcome measures 1RM leg press, maximal concentric isokinetic quadriceps and hamstrings as well as maxi...

Objectives: To (1) identify the wearable devices and associated metrics used to monitor workload and assess injury risk, (2) describe the situations in which workload was monitored using wearable technology (including sports, purpose of the analysis, location and duration of monitoring, and athlete characteristics), and (3) evaluate the quality of...

This study evaluated the incidence and characteristics of all-complaint injuries, including acute and overuse injuries, in female and male youth basketball players. A total of 518 players (16±1.4 years; 38.6% females), from 63 teams, participated in this prospective cohort study. Players were observed through one competitive high school or club bas...

The purpose of this article is to present how predictive machine learning methods can be utilized for detecting sport injury risk factors in a data-driven manner. The approach can be used for finding new hypotheses for risk factors and confirming the predictive power of previously recognized ones. We used three-dimensional motion analysis and physi...

This prospective study evaluated the incidence and pattern of acute injuries in youth (9- to 14-year- old) football players. Ten football clubs [n=730 players (567 males, 163 females)] participated in the 20-week follow-up study (January–June 2015). Data was collected by sending a standardized weekly SMS to players’ parents/guardians with follow-up...

Adherence is a key implementation outcome that determines the effectiveness of an intervention. This study, an observational design involving coaches and players from 33 high school basketball teams, evaluated the dimensions of adherence to a basketball-specific neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up program in youth basketball. Coach adherence (dail...

Background: Prospective studies investigating risk factors for low back pain (LBP) in youth athletes are limited. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the association between hip-pelvic kinematics and vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) during landing tasks and LBP in youth floorball and basketball players. Methods: Three-hundr...

Objective: To describe coaches’ perceptions of injury, risk and neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up injury prevention strategies in high school rugby. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: Eighteen coaches (8 female, 10 male) from the Calgary Senior High School Athletics Association 2019 Rugby League. Observation Technique: Coaches com...

The purpose of this study was to investigate LE muscular strength variables as potential risk factors for all and non‐contact acute knee and ACL injuries in young athletes. A total of 188 young (≤21) male and 174 female basketball and floorball players participated in LE muscular strength tests and were followed up to three years. The strength test...

To examine the mechanics of a lateral ankle sprain injury using 3D motion capture on a female ice hockey player.

Objective: Most research has focused on the bilateral drop jumps even though lower extremity injuries often occur in a single leg landing. We aimed to investigate the association between lower extremity alignment during unilateral and bilateral drop jump tests, and the risk of acute non-contact knee or ankle injuries in young team sport athletes....

A high incidence of overuse knee injuries among youth basketball players may be attributed to number of jumps. Wearable technology may be an effective tool for measuring jump load compared to traditional counting methods. The purpose of this study was to validate a commercially available jump counter (VERT® Classic) in youth basketball practices an...

In 2013, the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC-O) was developed to record the magnitude, symptoms and consequences of overuse injuries in sport. Shortly afterwards, a modified version of the OSTRC-O was developed to capture all types of injuries and illnesses—The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire...

Few prospective studies have investigated hip and pelvic control as a risk factor for lower extremity (LE) injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether deficits in hip and lumbopelvic control during standing knee lift test are associated with increased risk of acute knee and LE injuries in youth team sports. At baseline, 258 baske...

Study design: Nested case-control study. Background: Patellar tendinopathy is an overuse condition characterized by patellar tendon pain at the inferior pole of the patella and is common in basketball players. Objective: To examine the differences in external and internal workload (WL) in players with and without patellar tendinopathy. Method...

Introduction: Basketball is one of the most popular sports in North America, but there is a high incidence of lower extremity injuries among youth basketball players. Participation in neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up programs can reduce injury risk by 29% with lower injury rates reported for teams with high adherence to the NMT program. The use...

Introduction Prospective studies investigating risk factors for low back pain (LBP) in young athletes are limited. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the association between LBP and selected biomechanical factors and postural stability during dynamic movement tasks in young athletes. Materials and methods 396 young floorba...

Participation in sport and recreation has important positive implications for public health across the lifespan; however, the burden of sport-related musculoskeletal injury is significant, with the greatest risk being in youth and young adults. Moving upstream to primary prevention of injury is a public health priority that will have significant im...

Background:: Several single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in collagen genes have been reported as predisposing factors for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. However, the evidence is conflicting and does not support a clear association between genetic variants and risk of ACL ruptures. Purpose:: To assess the association of previously identifi...

Objectives To investigate the prevalence and burden of overuse injuries in children’s football as well as player characteristics and their association with overuse injury risk. Methods This investigation is based on the control arm (10 clubs) of a randomised controlled trial investigating prevention of injuries in youth football. We conducted a pr...

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of back pain in young basketball and floorball players under 21 years of age. The secondary aim was to examine risk factors especially for low back pain (LBP). Nine basketball and nine floorball teams (n=396) participated in this prospective follow‐up study (2011–2014). Young athletes (mean age...

This prospective study in youth football examined the relationship between frontal plane knee projection angle (FPKPA) during the single‐leg squat and sustaining an acute lower extremity injury or acute non‐contact lower extremity injury. Secondly, side‐to‐side asymmetry in FPKPA and sex as injury risk factors were explored. In addition, we investi...

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of adolescent physical activity-related injuries in sports club activities, leisure time physical activity and school-based physical activity. The secondary aim was to investigate the differences in the prevalence of physical activity -related injuries between years 2014 and 2...

Background/aim Poor frontal plane knee control can manifest as increased dynamic knee valgus during athletic tasks. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between frontal plane knee control and the risk of acute lower extremity injuries. In addition, we wanted to study if the single-leg squat (SLS) test can be used as a screen...

Background Stiff landings with less knee flexion and high vertical ground-reaction forces have been shown to be associated with an increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The literature on the association between other sagittal plane measures and the risk of ACL injuries with a prospective study design is lacking. Purpose To inv...

Prospective studies on overuse injuries and their impact on athletic training among youth team sports are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence, severity and player related risk factors of overuse injuries among young (12–20 years) basketball and floorball players. A total of 387 players participated in a 3-year prospec...

Objectives To investigate the incidence and characteristics of acute time-loss injuries in Finnish junior floorball league players. Design Prospective cohort study with 3-year follow-up. Methods One hundred and eighty-six female and male players (mean age 16.6 ± 1.4) took part in the follow-up study (2011–2014). The training hours and games were...