Miami Dolphins Utilizing Cutting-Edge Program For Injury Prevention
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
Take a glance at NFL spreads for Week 2 and you'll see only one game -- Tampa at New Orleans (-10.5) -- with a line greater than a touchdown. It may sound cliche, but the NFL truly is a game of inches, where one play can be the difference between a win and a loss, between playoffs and the couch.
So it's no surprise to see a franchise like the Miami Dolphins looking for any edge they can latch onto in their quest for Super Bowl glory. It's why the team enlisted Wayne Diesel in the offseason to be their new director of sports performance after working as the head of medical services for the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club of the English Premier League.
A primary goal? Injury prevention, via ESPN:
Part of his proactive approach includes trying to identify potential injuries before they occur. As part of that effort, Diesel and his team are gathering performance metrics and monitoring physical measures to help identify subtle changes that could signal an injury-in-waiting.
To that end, the Dolphins have partnered with Kitman Labs, a Silicon Valley sports science and technology company. The Kitman system includes markerless 3D video technology to record an athlete performing various range-of-motion measures necessary for football activities. The data analysis software can alert the team to subtle changes in motion, something that might warrant further evaluation by a member of the team's medical staff.
The Dolphins are the first NFL team to partner with Kitman Labs. So far, the coaching staff and players -- knowing their performance directly correlates to their job status -- have bought in. From customized workouts to personalized nutrition, everything the players do is measured and adjusted.
Tannenbaum says there will be ongoing dialogue throughout the season between himself, Diesel, Philbin and Ross, as well as retrospective analysis at the year's end. Whatever technology the Dolphins may have implemented, the most important ingredient may be the collective support within the organization for the sports performance program.
"You can't stop all injuries from happening but hopefully with proper conditioning, you're going to limit the amount of overuse injuries you see."
Considering Miami lost their last two games of the 2013 season and went 1-3 over their last four in 2014, the true test may come in December when the team could be clawing at their first playoff berth since 2008.
My only question: in a copycat league why publicize any details about this cutting-edge program that's designed to give you an edge?
Be sure to check out our FinsOn4 Live Dolphins Blog where we will be posting season-long coverage, updates, photos, video, commentary and more throughout the entire 2015 season.
Watch Miami take on the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday at 4:05 p.m. on CBS4, your official Dolphins station!
Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshBaumgard
