Editor’s Note: This is the first part of a three-part series covering the health and lifestyle of athletes.

Each year, millions of athletes worldwide experience sports-related injuries, from youth little leagues to the big professional stage. Still, no level of play is immune to accidents or even physical setbacks.

Some injuries occur more frequently than others. Among the most common are ankle sprains, hamstring strains, shin splints, shoulder dislocations, ACL tears and concussions.

While researching this topic, I gathered that the region that lands on the list of injuries the most is the lower body. A 2024 NCAA injury surveillance report found that over half of all college athlete injuries across all sports involve the lower extremities—including the knees, ankles, legs, and feet.

Concussions are also a major concern, particularly in high-contact sports such as football, soccer and basketball. 2025 research at the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery & Orthopedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) inrevealed that 62.5% of injuries in contact sports occurred in the lower body, with ankle injuries making up nearly 40% of those cases. These injuries not only cause pain and the loss of playing time but could also have long-term effects if it’s not treated properly.

Today’s athletes face greater physical demands than ever before. Training often runs year-round with little downtime, eventually working the body harder than previous generations experienced. While sports are constantly evolving, becoming faster and more physical in some aspects, places additional strain on every working part of the body.

According to the National Safety Council, 4.4 million people were treated in emergency departments for sports and recreation-related injuries in 2024, highlighting the widespread impact. College data mirrors these trends: concussions in NCAA sports have been increasing at nearly 7% annually, while ACL tears continue to rise by about 1.3% each year.

The modern style of play pushes athletes’ bodies to their limits, making recovery and injury prevention more important than ever.

Where once a serious knee or ligament injury could end an athlete’s career, science and kinesiology have advanced to match modern-day needs, now offering hope for full recovery. This field combines biomechanics, physical therapy, exercise physiology and technology to shorten recovery times and strengthen the body against reinjury.

According to C.J. Potter, assistant athletic director for sports medicine at UTEP Athletics, recovery is only part of the process; the final step is preparing athletes to return to game-level demands.

“We do everything that we can with them from a physical therapy rehab perspective, and then when we get to that sport transformation and that getting them back on the field or the court and that very high level sport functional activity is where we also rely on the strength and conditioning coaches as well,” Potter said.

Cryotherapy, wearable tech and advanced rehab programs are just some of the tools helping athletes return to competition. For example, ACL reconstruction, which used to mean the end of an athlete’s way of life, now often allows a return within 9–12 months.

Universities highlight progress through their Department of Kinesiology and Sports Medicine programs, where research is focused on improving safety, recovery and performance.

Preventing injuries before they occur is a major focus of kinesiology research. Programs that include strength training, neuromuscular warm-ups and balance exercises have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of ACL and ankle injuries, especially for athletes with historys of sprains.

“The more things that you can monitor and measure and get objective data, the better, because obviously it’s all going to clue you in to injury trends, muscular fatigue, neuromuscular fatigue, so that we can try to identify things before they happen, be preventative, as opposed to be reactionary once an injury occurs,” Potter said.

College data emphasizes the impact of these programs, in which implementing structured prevention protocols can reduce lower-body injuries by up to 50% in some NCAA sports.

In addition, what athletes consume in terms of nutrition and hydration is just as important as training and recovery.

A proper diet can reduce the risk of cramps, heat-related illnesses, and muscle strains, while adequate hydration supports endurance, muscle function and faster recovery between practices and games.

An old motto Potter used was, “Six-pack abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.” He emphasized that everything from nutrition staff providing the right snacks to preparing recovery shakes, plays a role in an athlete’s health.

Together, these strategies form a thorough approach to keep collegiate athletes healthy and performing at their best.

Injuries are not just physical setbacks, but also a challenge of the mind.

Athletes may experience depression, anxiety, or struggles with their physical gifts during recovery. Studies show that nearly 30% of injured athletes report notable mental health symptoms, and these challenges can even slow the healing process.

As a result, addressing the psychological side of recovery has become an important focus in sports medicine, ensuring that athletes return to play stronger both physically and mentally.

The psyche of an athlete is to dig deep within themselves to give it their all, and sports science is there to support them every step of the way. Kinesiology and sports medicine continue to transform how athletes train, recover and perform at their best. As research advances, one goal remains constant: to keep athletes healthy, resilient and in the game.

Cameron Mason is a staff reporter for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]