4. Discussion
Based on the results in our study, we were unable to detect any effect of an exercise-based injury-prevention program on MSI incidence in the military cadet population. One of the reasons why significant differences in injury incidence were not detected might be related to the prevention program specifics. This study, in contrast to some previous studies, did not have any progression (e.g., increase in number of repetitions) built into the program [An additional purpose of the study was to investigate whether the prevention program had any influence on motor performance or psychosocial status of study participants. Motor performance assessment was included because our MSI-prevention program was designed to correct potential deficits in biomechanics and physical fitness. Psychosocial assessment was included because it has been reported that emotional problems and stress contribute to MSI risk and should be considered when planning preventive measures [The strength of our study is that we assessed the effect of an exercise-based injury-prevention program simultaneously on injury incidence, motor performance and psychosocial status. Previous research has focused on just a single outcome area, making it somewhat difficult to understand which element has resulted in a reduced injury risk. Furthermore, the 6-month study period should be considered a strength of the current study. This study also has several limitations. Although not an exclusion criterion, due to the small female sample size, female participants were not included in the analysis, which prevents generalizability of our findings to females. Furthermore, the statistical power of this study was low due to the small sample size.