Musculoskeletal injury profile in individuals training for the police recruitment exam

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Each year, exams to become a police officer are held by the Police Academy Directorate in our country and various musculoskeletal injuries are seen during the preparation period. The aim of this study was to determine the musculoskeletal injury profiles of individuals training for police recruitment exams.METHODS: This study was a descriptive and retrospective study. This study was planned to be multicentric and was carried out in the three-sports medicine outpatient clinics. Individuals who trained for police recruitment exams, and applied to sports medicine outpatient clinics due to musculoskeletal injury/injuries were assessed. The participant’s age, gender, symptoms, onset of symptoms, injured body region, and injury types were recorded. Diagnosis were classified according to the Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System (OSIICS) v.13.RESULTS: Data from 137 patients (100 females, 37 males) were analyzed. The mean age was 24±2.2 years. A total of 210 injuries occurred. The annual injury incidence rate was 21.74 per 1000 hours of training. The most frequently injured body region was the lower leg (N.=52, 31%). Almost half of injury-related musculoskeletal disorders (N.=96, 46%) were classified as muscle/tendon injuries, followed by bone injuries (N.=47; 22%) and cartilage/synovium/bursa (N.=32; 15%).CONCLUSIONS: Muscle-tendon injuries are the most common injury type in individuals training for the police recruitment exams.