Institute for the Study of Youth Sports

    In September 2016, the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports was proud to present the 4th Annual Kristen Marie Gould Endowed Lecture on Sport for Children and Youth. We were honored to receive and host the esteemed Dr. Lindsay J. DiStefano, ATC, of the University of Connecticut. Dr. DiStefano addressed an assembled crowd of students and staff of the Department of Kinesiology regarding the JUMP-ACL study, which aims to identify and address risk factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.

Dr. DiStefano is highly respected for her work involving the identification and prevention of risk factors for injury, particularly in youth, and with a specific focus on lower extremity injury. She received her B.S. from Boston University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An Associate Professor at UConn, she also serves as Research Associate at the Human Performance Laboratory and as Clinical Coordinator for the Athletic Training Education program. Much of her research focuses on the development and implementation of injury prevention programs.

Her focus on ACL injury partially stems from her recognition of the long-term negative effects often associated with such an injury, particularly the possible development of osteoarthritis in later years. To emphasize the consequences of ACL injuries, Dr. DiStefano quoted Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Kevin R. Stone, M.D.

“Concussions may kill you, but arthritis ruins your life.”

Dr. DiStefano first began to work with the JUMP-ACL project as a graduate student, helping to develop a test to screen for potential risk factors. That test, which examines the landing form of a subject jumping down and forward off of a small platform, can help trainers to detect movement errors that can lead to ACL injury.

Now at UConn, her work focuses on the integration of an injury prevention program in schools and youth sport programs. Her corresponding interventions focus on improving children’s physical literacy – ability to participate, behavioral choice to play, confidence in individual ability, and openness to exploring new activities – by correcting neuromuscular errors in movement in order to prevent injury.

The injury prevention program consists of a 10-minute dynamic warm-up routine for youth athletes, emphasizing balance, plyometric, dynamic flexibility, agility, and movement control. In addition to promoting these warm-ups among coaches, Dr. DiStefano has worked with fellow researchers to explore implementing “brain-breaks” in schools, where students will take time out of class to go through a few minutes of exercises designed to promote physical literacy.

Through the use of these programs, Dr. DiStefano hopes to provide for a healthier sport experience for youth, helping them to reap the benefits of physical activity to the fullest extent. If you would like to learn more about the injury prevention programs, you can refer to her 2016 paper, “The Effects of an Injury Prevention Program on Landing Biomechanics Over Time”. To learn more about her background and some of her other publications, you can visit her University of Connecticut faculty page at Kins.UConn.edu/Lindsay-J-DiStefano/