Evaluation of an interprofessional student placement: qualitative findings and implications

Abstract

self-identified as drag flickers and 292 as non-drag flickers. The sample comprised of 242 males and 188 females with a mean age of 25.7 years (SD8.3), height of 1.74metres (SD9.3), mass of 71.7 kilograms (SD13.0) and 15.8 years (SD8.0) years of experience. All participants were currently competing at local, national, or international level. Recruitment occurred over a 3 month period during the regular season. Participants completed an online questionnaire to determine the prevalence and severity of lower limb and lumbar injuries using a modified Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) Overuse Injury Questionnaire. The questionnaire reports the 3-months prevalence injury rate and severity of injury for the ankle, knee, hip and lumbar. Univariate logistics regression was used to determine whether drag flickers had a higher prevalence of ankle, knee, hip and lumbar injuries than non-drag flickers. MannWhitney U tests compared the difference in severity score of the injuries between drag flickers and non-drag flickers. Results: The results showed that drag flickers had significantly higher prevalence of hip (OR 1.541, 95% CI 1.034, 2.365, p= 0.043) and lumbar injuries (OR 1.564, 95% CI, 1.034, 2.365 and p= 0.034) compared to non-drag flickers. No significant differences were observed between drag flickers and non-drag flickers in ankle (OR: 1.041, 95% CI, 0.631, 1.462, p= 0.851) and knee injuries (OR: 1.135; 95% CI, 0.750, 1.719, p= 0.548). There were no significant differences in severity in ankle, knee, hip and lumbar injury between the two groups. Conclusion(s): There is a significantly higher prevalence of injury in drag flickers compared to non-drag flickers in the hip and lumbar spine, but no significant difference in the severity of these injuries. Implications: This study has identified that a higher prevalence of hip and lumbar injuries among drag flickers compared to non-drag flickers. This data can lead to future biomechanical or skills studies investigating the potential mechanisms of injuries in this specific group of athletes with a view to developing strategies to mitigate the occurrence of hip and lumbar injuries injury among drag flickers.