Dr. Mark Kovacs, the Director of the LIFE Sport Science Institute (LSSI) and Associate Professor in the Department of Sport Health Science at Life University (LIFE) presented data on Periodization and Scheduling for Elite Level Soccer at the 2016 Major League Soccer (MLS) Medical Symposium during the 2016 MLS Player Combine. The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) hosted the 2016 MLS Medical Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale alongside the 2016 MLS Player Combine. This is one of the biggest annual events in the U.S. for individuals who work in elite soccer, and specifically with MLS teams throughout the country.
“This was an outstanding symposium that brought together the top minds working in professional soccer in the United States,” says Dr. Kovacs. “The Chief Medical Officers for U.S. Soccer, the MLS and NCAA all spoke during this symposium, and every MLS healthcare staff (chiropractors, athletic trainers, physical therapists, strength coaches and medical doctors) was represented to help improve the quality of training and rehabilitation in the soccer industry.”
The purpose of the symposium was to provide medical teams with guidance on the identification, prevention and treatment of injuries and illnesses common to the soccer athlete. The team approach was emphasized, using case presentations; injury updates of current recommendations; and methods for return to sport in common areas affecting the soccer population, including injuries to the knee and ankle. Emphasis was also placed on the medical care of athletes, with attention to concussion management, arterial injuries and exertional compartment syndromes.
Dr. Kovacs presented information based around his work over the past few years in soccer, which involved work with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and also work he has done with national teams leading into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and soccer teams in the English Premier League and La Liga (Spanish League).
“The ability to share the information is one aspect of the symposium, but an even greater privilege is to be able to bring back to the LIFE campus the latest information in these areas and build upon the applied research we are doing at the LSSI and also add to the curriculum that is being taught to the students that we mentor here in the undergraduate and graduate programs in Sport Health Science,” remarks Dr. Kovacs. “It also provides great contacts for students who may have an interest in working in soccer in different areas of health care, performance and injury prevention.”
For anyone interested in more information on the Sport Health Science Department and the degrees offered at Life University, visit LIFE.edu/Academics or call 800.543.3202.
About Life University
Founded in Marietta, Georgia in 1974, Life University is a health sciences institution most known for its chiropractic program, the largest in the world. Life University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, masters, and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees, and also has programmatic accreditation through the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The mission of Life University is to empower students with the education, skills and values necessary for career success and life fulfillment, based on a vitalistic philosophy.
