Abstract
BackgroundPhysical activity in adolescence is promoted for its multi-dimensional health benefits. However, too intensive sports participation is associated with an increased injury risk. Our aim was to compare the occurrence of acute and overuse injuries in Finnish sports club members and non-members and to report training and competing habits associated with a higher injury risk in sports club members.MethodsIn this cross-sectional survey targeted at 14–16-year-old adolescents, a structured questionnaire was completed by 1077 sports club members and 812 non-members. The main outcome measures were self-reported acute and overuse injuries, their location and type.ResultsAt least one acute injury in the past year was reported by 44.0% of sports club members and 19.8% of non-members (P < 0.001). The sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for acute injury in sports club members compared to non-members was 3.13 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.54–3.87). Thirty-five percent of sports club members and 17.4% of non-members (P < 0.001) reported at least one overuse injury during the past year. The overuse injury OR for sports club members was 2.61 (95% CI 2.09–3.26). Sports club members who trained 7–14 h per week during training (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.21–2.12, P = 0.001) or competition season (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.18–2.06, P = 0.002) were more likely to report an injury compared to members who trained 3–6 h per week. Those sports club members who participated in forty competitions or more compared to 7–19 competitions per year were more likely to report an acute injury (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.05–2.08, P = 0.028) or for an overuse injury (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.02–2.30, P = 0.038).ConclusionsBoth acute and overuse injuries are common among youth sports club members, and the number increases along with increasing amounts of training and competitions. More effective injury prevention is needed both for adolescents engaging in sports club activities and for other adolescents.
Highlights
Physical activity in adolescence is promoted for its multi-dimensional health benefits
Individual sports’ participants were less likely to report an acute injury than team and contact sports participants
In the sub-group of sports club members training at least three times weekly during the training season, compared to non-members, the sex adjusted odds ratio (OR) for reporting at least one acute injury was 3.49
Summary
Physical activity in adolescence is promoted for its multi-dimensional health benefits. Our aim was to compare the occurrence of acute and overuse injuries in Finnish sports club members and non-members and to report training and competing habits associated with a higher injury risk in sports club members. Physical activity in adolescence provides multidimensional health benefits [1, 2]. The occurrence and risk factors of different types of unintentional injuries among Finnish adolescents have previously been studied [11]. The sports injuries of adolescent sports club members have been studied previously [12,13,14], but studies comparing injuries between sports club members and non-members are rare [13]. The occurrence of overuse injuries has been studied less than that of acute injuries. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine has made a position statement concerning overuse injuries and burnout, which are common problems in youth sports [15]
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