Incidence Of Sports Injuries Research Articles

A systematic literature review of injury epidemiology and surveillance practices in elite adult female field-based team sport.

To describe injury incidence and surveillance practices in elite adult female field-based team sports. Systematic literature review. This review was prospectively registered (PROSPERO CRD42022318642). CINAHL, PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Open Grey and Google Scholar were searched from inception to 30th June inclusive. Peer reviewed original research articles that reported the incidence of injury sustained by females aged ≥18 years in elite field-based team sports were included. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used to assess the risk of bias. Twenty prospective cohort studies investigating injury incidence in Australian football, American football, soccer, field hockey, rugby, rugby-7s and cricket were eligible. A higher injury incidence in match play compared to training was reported with the highest match and training incidence (132.7 and 42.1/1000 h of exposure respectively) in Australian football. The majority of the reported injuries were to the lower limb and involved muscle/tendon or joint/ligaments. There was heterogeneity in definitions of injury, severity and exposure, variations in methods of injury data collection and reporting with, not all data being collected/reported optimally, which limited comparison of studies. This review highlights the lack of and need for injury data specific to this cohort. Establishing the incidence of injury with a robust injury surveillance system is the first step in the sequence of injury prevention. It requires consistency in definitions and methodologies, providing accurate and useful injury data, to guide targeted injury prevention strategies.

The Role of Mouthguards in Preventing Temporomandibular Joint Injuries During Contact Sports: A Prospective Study.

Objectives: Injuries to the maxillofacial region during contact sports is a well-known issue. Protective measures have been advised to prevent and reduce these problems. Awareness regarding the role of mouthguards in preventing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injuries during contact sports, is limited. The aim of the present study was to assess awareness regarding the use of mouthguards during contact sports and incidence of TMJ injuries in sportspersons. Materials and Methods: Eighty-six individuals training in contact sports were enrolled in the present study based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. A questionnaire and clinical examination were used to assess TMJ pain, clicking, deviation, mouth opening, and locking. Results: The percentage of sportspersons aware of various protective gears was 23.8%. The awareness of TMJ injuries following contact sports was 6.9%, and 70.3% of the sportspersons were estimated to wear mouthguards. Clinical assessment of sportspersons using mouthguards revealed pain in 18.6% and clicking in 17.4% of the study subjects. The incidence of TMJ pain and clicking in individuals who did not use mouthguards were 81.4% and 82.6%, respectively. Conclusion: Application of mouthguards can reduce the incidence of TMJ injuries in contact sports. They also contribute significantly to the overall dental health of the athletes, as well as improving their overall athletic performance and decreasing the likelihood of other types of oral and facial injuries.

Motivation, injury prevention, and the incidence of sports injuries: A three-wave longitudinal test of self-determination theory.

This study applied self-determination theory (SDT) as a psychological framework to examine whether psychological need support and autonomous motivation are predictive of sports injury preventive behaviors and the incidence of sports injuries. 2042 secondary school students (mean age=14.33, male=44.3%) from China completed a survey of the study variables (using established scales) at three time points (baseline, 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up). Structural equation modeling examined the core tenets of SDT by testing if the change-scores of the SDT variables (i.e., psychological need support from PE teachers, students' motivation, and students' behavioral adherence) between baseline and 1-month follow-up, were predictive of sports injury incidence assessed at 3-month follow-up. Our model demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit parameters (CFI=0.97, TLI=0.96, RMSEA=0.03, and SRMR=0.05). The relationships between psychological need support, autonomous motivation, and behavioral adherence were both positive and significant. These SDT variables predicted the future incidence of sports injuries following the motivational pathways of SDT. Our study provides evidence of the predictive power of SDT variables on sports injury preventive behaviors and the incidence of sports injuries: Students who perceive their PE teachers as psychological need supportive possess higher autonomous motivation and behavioral adherence towards sports injury prevention, and are also less likely to encounter sports injuries in the future.

Global research trends on platelet-rich plasma for tendon and ligament injuries from the past two decades: A bibliometric and visualized study.

In sports medicine, tendon and ligament injuries are the most prevalent conditions, and with the booming of sports competition, the incidence of sports injuries is gradually increasing, investigating more potent therapeutic options is therefore becoming increasingly crucial. Platelet-rich plasma therapy has gained popularity as an effective and secure treatment in recent years. Currently, a faceted systematic and clear visual analysis is lacking in this research area. The literature related to using platelet-rich plasma to treat ligament and tendon injuries from 2003 to 2022 in the core dataset of the Web of Science database was collected and analyzed visually using Citespace 6.1 software. Research hotspots and development trends were analyzed in terms of high-impact countries or regions, authors, research institutions, keywords, and cited literature. The literature comprised a total of 1,827 articles. The annual publication volume of relevant literature has demonstrated a significant development tendency as the field of platelet-rich plasma research for tendon and ligament injuries has heated up in recent years. With 678 papers, the United States came in top place, followed by China with 187 papers. Hosp Special Surg ranked first with 56 papers. The hot research topics analyzed by keywords were tennis elbow, anterior cruciate ligament, rotator cuff repair, achilles tendon, mesenchymal stem cells, guided tissue regeneration, network meta analysis, chronic patellar tendinopathy, and follow up. Analysis of the research literature over the past 20 years shows that the United States and China will continue to dominate in terms of volume of publications based on annual volume and trends, with some collaboration among high-impact authors and further collaboration still needed in different countries and institutions. Platelet-rich plasma is widely used in the treatment of tendon ligament injuries. Its clinical efficacy is influenced by a number of factors, the main ones being the inconsistency in the preparation and composition of platelet-rich plasma and its related preparations, and the differences in efficacy due to different activation methods of platelet-rich plasma, as well as factors such as injection time, injection site, administration method, number of administrations, acidity and evaluation methods, In addition, the applicability to different injury diseases remains controversial. In recent years, the molecular biology of platelet-rich plasma for tendon ligament therapy has received increasing attention.

Incidence of Sport Injuries in the Manchester 2019 World Taekwondo Championships: A Prospective Study of 936 Athletes from 145 Countries.

We aimed to describe injury incidence and patterns at the 2019 World Taekwondo Championships (WTC), and to compare them with those of previous WTCs, based on new World Taekwondo (WT) competition rules, medical codes, and the Protector and Scoring System (PSS). This prospective cohort study utilized data obtained through the WT Injury Surveillance System. All athletes with injuries were evaluated by on-site sports medicine specialists, and ultrasonography was used to assess all musculoskeletal injuries. Of 936 athletes, 60 injuries were recorded (6.4 injuries/100 athletes, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 4.8-8.0), and 4.5% (n = 42) sustained at least one injury. Males had a higher risk of sustaining injuries than females (incidence rate ratio: 1.57; 95% CI: 0.89-2.76). The most common sites, type, and mechanism were lower extremities (n = 26, 43.33%), contusion/hematoma/bruises (n = 33, 55.0%), and contact with another athlete (n = 50, 83.33%). Overall, the injury patterns associated with the mechanism of injury were similar in both the 2019 and 2017 WTCs. Refined WT competition rules and a re-established PSS at the 2019 WTC reduced the overall and severe injury incidence. Our findings can help revise Taekwondo competition rules, enhance protective equipment, optimize on-site venue medical systems, and develop injury prevention projects.

Incidence of sports injuries according to playing style in combat sports

BACKGROUND: “Combat Sports” describes a group of sports whose competitive essence consists of direct combat between two competing athletes. AIMS: This study evaluated the incidence of the Sports injuries according to playing style in Combat Sports. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate incidence of sports injuries according to playing style in combat sports by using self-questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Around 178 Combat Sports Players from various sports club across Pune city were approached of which 160 players gave consent to participate in the study. Further 140 players fulfilling inclusion criteria playing with Strike Sports (Taekwondo n = 41, Boxing n = 39) and Non-Strike sports (Judo n = 24, Wrestling n = 31) were selected. Participants were made to fill the Self-made Questionnaire evaluating the Type and Location of injury, Time of injury, Duration for return to Sports Post-injury, and any Psychological issue post injury. RESULTS: Total 91 players (Strike n = 43 and Non-Strike n = 48) mentioned to be suffering from some type of Sports injury. The musculoskeletal injuries were found to be most common in both Strike (52.8%) and Non-Strike Sports (52.1%). In Strike sports 26.6% had Upper and 22.8% Lower limb injuries while in Non-Strike Sports 53.6% had Upper limb and 53.6 had Back injuries. Sprain or strain injuries were common in Strike (25%) and Non-Strike sports (35.1%). The occurrence of injuries during Qualifying events was common in Strike (46%) and Non-Strike sports (46.3%). Only 37.2% of Strike and 37.5% Non-Strike Sports players mentioned of ‘Return to Sports’ after complete recovery. Around 18.5% of Strike sports and 32.1% of Non-Strike sports players suffered psychological issues such as difficulty in engaging exercises. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that Combat Sports Players are more prone to musculoskeletal injuries. Injuries during the Qualifying events are common. Most of the Players returned to sports without complete recovery and have suffered from psychological issues with difficulty in engaging exercises.

PRESCRIÇÃO DE EXERCÍCIOS PARA REDUÇÃO DE LESÕES NA DANÇA DE SALÃO

ABSTRACT Introduction: Ballroom dancing is a high-intensity sport. Exaggerated training plans and an overtraining range can easily cause sports injuries. Athletes should take the necessary protective measures when training or competing, including exercises with preventative intent. Objective: This research paper thoroughly investigates the current status of ballroom dance injuries in colleges and universities. Methods: This research selects 28 students who majored in ballroom dancing as experimental subjects. The volunteers were divided into a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group received an exercise prescription for 12 weeks of exercise. The control group did not do any exercise for 12 weeks. Injury statistics were performed after a 12-week comparative trial. The effect of exercise prescription on injury reduction in ballroom dancing was discussed. Results: The incidence of sports injuries in the experimental group decreased significantly after 12 weeks (P<0.01). Compared to the control group, the incidence of muscle, ligament and joint injuries in the experimental group was significantly lower (P<0.01). The waist and ankle injuries incidence in the experimental group was lower than in the control group, and the data had significant differences (P<0.01). Conclusion: Dance athletes who choose the appropriate exercise prescription can effectively reduce the likelihood of injuries during training. Training can effectively improve performance in athletic competitions. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

ANÁLISE INVESTIGATIVA SOBRE LESÕES NO BASQUETEBOL POR ESTUDANTES UNIVERSITÁRIOS

ABSTRACT Introduction Basketball is a sport with strong rivalry, being, therefore, a modality with great facility to cause sports injuries along its practice. Objective Investigate the status of sports injuries in college basketball for amateur students. Methods 480 college students who were not basketball experts were selected as research volunteers. The current status of sports injuries in the 12-week optional basketball course was investigated, and the main risk factors were analyzed. Results Among amateur male college students, the average playing age of third-grade male college students is higher than that of second-grade male college students, and the weekly playing frequency is lower than that of second-grade male college students. The incidence of basketball sports injuries among male college students who do not specialize in basketball from childhood to adulthood is up to 90.7%, and 85.5% during their college years. Conclusion In basketball sports, the most vulnerable parts of amateur male college students are the wrist joint, ankle joint, knee joint, leg, head and face, shoulder, waist, and back, respectively. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

Psychological factors of sports injury caused by wireless communication of embedded microprocessor in social sports teaching and training

In the process of physical education and training, students’ sports injuries are found, and the laws of injury and psychological factors of injury are discovered from them, to propose targeted preventive measures to reduce the incidence of sports injuries. Based on embedded communication technology, it provides a material means for the sharing of information resources. And the application of the microprocessor makes it very useful in physical education. It is hoped that the incidence of track and field sports injuries of physical education students can be reduced, their potential can be tapped, and their sports life span can be prolonged. This paper establishes the evaluation model of sports injury psychology and emotion, and analyzes the influence of sports injury emotion change on injury rehabilitation and psychological state maintenance cycle in Google data analysis platform. 36 undergraduates from 211 universities were recruited as subjects to show them the introduction information of various sports and ask them to complete the questionnaire. This paper adopts the group design method with psychological quality (high / low) as the independent variable and the choice intention of sports (simple sports / complex sports) as the dependent variable. To select suitable sports for young people to carry out psychological experiments and realize the effective control of scene information. According to the score of psychological quality, the group with high score is regarded as young people with high psychological quality, and the group with low score is regarded as young people with low psychological quality. According to the experimental data, the median score of experiment 1 was 5.00. Those who score higher than 5.0 have high psychological quality, while those who score lower than 5.0 have low learning ability. Taking "psychological quality (high / low)" as the independent variable and "sports project (simple sports / complex sports) choice intention" as the dependent variable, this paper carries out one-way ANOVA with the help of spss22.0. The results show that psychological quality has a significant impact on young people's sports injury.

EFEITOS DO TREINO DE ESTABILIDADE DO CORE NA REABILITAÇÃO EM MEMBROS INFERIORES DE JUDOCAS

ABSTRACT Introduction Judo is a sport that presents a high incidence of sports injuries. Judo athletes want to master their skills to the maximum. Good physical conditioning is necessary to decrease the incidence of surgeries and achieve better results. Core stability exercises can discretely reduce the likelihood of lower limb injuries in judo athletes. Objective This paper examines the rehabilitation of core stability training effects on lower limb injuries in judokas by case studies. Methods A Chinese judo team member with a lower limb injury underwent core stability training. Isokinetic strength tests, body composition tests, and functional checks explored the athlete’s physical recovery after training. Results The athletes’ lower limbs progressed with good recovery (P<0.05). Additionally, a recovery in fitness level was also noted (P<0.05). Conclusion Core stability training positively affects recovery from lower limb injuries in judokas. Evidence level II; Therapeutic Studies - Investigating the results.

A ENFERMAGEM NAS LESÕES DE TORNOZELO COM BASE NO EXERCÍCIO DE APTIDÃO FÍSICA

ABSTRACT Introduction Ankle injury is an acute soft tissue pathology where the ankle ligaments are distended, lacerated, or ruptured due to violence during sport. This joint is also one of the most vulnerable in sports. After an injury, immediate and adequate care is significant in reducing pain and complication. Objective Statistically analyze the sports injuries of the ankle cases, determining the principal reasons for injury and outlining preventive measures. Methods A statistical investigation on the sports injuries of 275 Qiqihar higher education students was performed with questionnaires and teaching practice methods. The research was focused on the injured structures and the injury causes analysis. In parallel, corresponding proposals aimed at preventing these sports injuries were raised. Results Joint injuries and ankle sprains followed by hematomas represented the most significant proportion of ankle injuries. The reasons are lack of physical fitness, lack of awareness of self-protection, inadequate preparation in the sporting environment facilities, and performing tasks outside what the superior specified was specified. Conclusion Medical work needs to increase dissemination so that people realize the causes of sports injuries. At the same time, it helps people master the care measures before and after the injury. This reduces the incidence of sports injuries and reduces the occurrence of complications. Evidence level II; Therapeutic Studies - Investigating the results.

Epidemiological Analysis of Foot and Ankle Injuries in Athletes: Experience of a Single Specialized Center

Category: Sports; Ankle Introduction/Purpose: The number of professional and amateur athletes has increased, consequently leading to an increase in the incidence of sports injuries. Understanding the epidemiological profile of foot and ankle's injuries in athletes is relevant for the prevention and treatment its occurrence. As far as we know, there is a lack of studies that report the epidemiological profile of athletes with foot and ankle disorders considering different sports. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of foot and ankle injuries in athletes treated at an outpatient clinic specializing in injuries resulting from sports practice. The primary hypothesis is that ankle instability is the most frequent injury in athletes in the foot and ankle specialty outpatient clinic. Methods: Observational, retrospective, descriptive and comparative level IV of evidence study. The sample consisted of patients treated at an outpatient clinic specializing in foot and ankle injuries in sport, between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2020. Three certified orthopedic physicians reviewed the charts and documented patient demographics, sport, diagnosis and lesion laterality. Age was analyzed according to age groups. The inclusion criteria were patients practicing amateurs or sports professionals of all age groups. We only count the first visits and the main modality and diagnosis of the patient. Exclusion criteria were insufficient data documented in chart, injuries that did not occur secondary to sports practice, and patients with conditions unrelated to the ankle and foot. Statistical analyzes were performed using software: SPSS V20, Minitab 16 and Excel Office 2010. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to verify the association of gender, age and laterality with the main injuries documented. Results: A total of 763 patients (387 men and 376 women) met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 35 years (SD= +-14.1; min=8.9; max=77). The most prevalent age group was young adults with 51.7% and the least prevalent was children with 1.4%. The most prevalent diseases were chronic lateral ankle instability (n=134, 17.6%), acute lateral ankle sprain (n=120, 15.7%) and plantar fasciitis (n=69, 9%). The multivariable analysis by logistic regression identified as a risk factor for lateral ankle instability the age group of young adults and females. In acute lateral ankle sprain, age was identified as a risk factor with statistical significance. In overuse injuries, only the female gender was evidenced as a risk factor. In non-insertional Achilles tendinopathy, bilaterality was associated as a risk factor with disease while in insertional Achilles tendinopathy, only the male gender was identified as a risk factor, as well as in Achilles tendon rupture. Conclusion: The literature specifically describing foot and ankle injuries during sport is limited, despite being highly prevalent injuries. Our work correlated several factors such as age, gender and laterality with specific sports through multivariate analysis, adding epidemiological data to the literature that help in the prevention and treatment of foot and ankle injuries in sports.

Safe and Healthy Para sport project (SHAPE): a study protocol of a complex intervention within Para sport

Elite Para athletes report a high incidence of sports injuries, illnesses and other health issues. Despite this, there are few prevention programmes in Para sport, and many of the existing...

Incidence of sports injuries and their association with training characteristics of football referees in Türkiye

Objective: There is an abundant number of studies that investigated injuries of football players. However, injuries of football referees remains under-researched. This cohort study aims to determine the sports injuries of Turkish football referees and also to investigate the relationship between the injury and demographic characteristics and the referees’training patterns. Materials and Methods: At the onset of the season, a questionnaire involving personal characteristics, training content, and injury characteristics was administered to the referees. Then, the referees kept injury diaries throughout the season. Injury logs were analyzed at the end of the season. Results: From 335 referees who were approached, a total of 286 completed the study. During the 2018-2019 football season, 134 injuries were reported from 94 (32.9%) referees, with more injuries during training than matches (n=114 vs 20; 85.1% vs 14.9%). Injuries were classified as acute injuries (n=36; 26.9%) and chronic/overuse injuries (n=86; 64.2%), while 12 (9%) injuries did not receive any clinical diagnosis. The most common injured body part was the lower leg (n=40, 29.9%). A significant difference was found between injured and non-injured referees for their ages, years of refereeing, the leagues they refereed, and the intensity of running training. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age groups affected the injury status with a variance of 12.4% with an odds ratio of 70.3% and %95 CI. The risk of injury for the referees in the 22-25 age group was 73% lower than those in the 30-year-old age group. Conclusions: Our findings present the demographic profile and training characteristics of Turkish referees, and highlights the possible role of age, league level, years of refereeing and training planning in injury prevention.

Analysis of Injuries and Wellness in Blind Athletes during an International Football Competition.

Five-a-side football for blind people is the only adapted football modality present at the Paralympic games. Fa5 is a collaborative-opposition sport in which its participants play with no vision, which causes numerous impacts. At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, it was the sport with the highest incidence of sports injuries. The main objective of this work is to analyse the association between pain perception; spatio-temporal, mechanical, and metabolic workload with injuries; and wellness in players during an international Fa5 competition. The following variables, monitored during an International Fa5 Tournament, were analysed: general well-being, perception of pain and injuries, and the spatio-temporal and metabolic workload. The results show that the incidence of injuries increases as the tournament progresses, where injured players reported greater muscle pain and stress before the matches started. Besides, the players’ internal and external load did not explain the incidence of injury. Still, the values obtained in the wellness questionnaire, the perception of pain, and stress suggested they contributed to the incidence of injury.

Extremity Injuries during Sporting Activities According to Life Course: Focusing on Fractures.

Background:The increased participation in sports has led to an increased number of sports-related injuries. We aimed to identify the incidence of sports-related injuries by life course and the risk factors for sports-related extremity fractures.Methods:We analyzed data of patients with sports-related extremity injuries from Emergency Department-based national injury surveillance systems, obtained from Jan 2013 to Dec 2016. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors of extremity fracture by life course after adjusting for sex, injury season, injury time, injury place, sports type, and mechanism of injury.Results:Overall, 23385 patients met our inclusion criteria. Soccer injuries were most common in the 5–14-year (32.4%), 15–24-year (43.0%), and 25–44-year groups (32.7%), and hiking injuries were most common in the 45–64-year (23.6%) and ≥65-year age groups (38.0%). The upper extremity injury and fracture rates were higher in the younger-age group; nevertheless, the injury and fracture rates of the lower extremities increased with increasing age. Moreover, the rate of hip and thigh injuries and fractures increased significantly in the ≥65-year age group.Conclusion:The incidence and severity of sports injuries are affected by player factors and the sports activity itself. The age of players is a major determinant that affects their medical and physiologic conditions and the sport of choice. The strategy for preventing sports injuries should be structured based on age.

Effectiveness of a Warm-up Program with Dynamic Stretching in Preventing Sports Injuries

Objectives: This study aimed to conduct a warm-up (W-up) program incorporating movement preparation (MP) and clarify its effect on sports injury prevention.Methods: The subjects of the study were 55 first- to third-year students (age: 15.9 ± 1.0 years, height: 168.5 ± 5.2 cm, weight: 57.4 ± 5.3 kg) belonging to a high school boys' soccer team. The first two months were the control period (CP), and the next two months were the intervention period (IP). The CP was a conventional W-up and the IP was a W-up with MP. The effects of each W-up were compared in terms of the incidence of sports injuries and disabilities during both periods and the incidence of sports injuries and disabilities by cause. Other measurements were compared for a total of seven items, including flexibility, balance, and performance.Results: During the IP, the incidence of sports injuries during practice and the incidence of non-contact sports injuries were reduced, whereas flexibility, balance, and performance improved.Conclusions: W-up incorporating MP showed improvement in flexibility and related balance, which may have led to the reduction of sports injuries.

Conflict between Weightlifting and Health? The Importance of Injury Prevention and Technology Assistance

As the level of weightlifting competition continues to improve, athletes need to continuously improve their athletic performance to achieve better results. However, we often see in training that some excellent weightlifters are often interrupted due to sports injuries, and their special ability and competitive level cannot be improved. How to effectively prevent sports injuries and reduce the incidence of sports injuries is a topic that needs to be grasped in the current sports team training process. The national weightlifting team attaches great importance to the role of technology in training and competitions. During the Tokyo Olympic preparation period, the concept of technology to help the Olympics has been fully implemented in the national weightlifting team. New training equipment, new monitoring methods, and new recovery methods have added more guarantees to the preparation of the national weightlifting team, improving athletes' competitive performance, reducing the risk of sports injuries, and ensuring the safety and health of athletes.

Gender Effects on Lower Limb Biomechanics of Novice Runners before and after a 5 km Run

Background: Gender has been considered as an influencing factor in the incidence of sports injuries. But few studies have discussed whether gender differences change after long-distance running. This study aimed at investigating whether the kinematic and ground reaction forces (GRFs) differences between males and females were altered by a 5 km run. Methods: Thirty novice runners (15 males and 15 females) with heel strikes were recruited for this study. In the test before and after the 5 km run, the participants were asked to run through the force plate with their right foot at a speed of 3.3 m/s ± 5%. Kinematics data and GRFs were collected synchronously. Each participant completed five successful running trials for further analysis of data. Results: Gender differences existed in ankle sagittal peak angle (pre: p = 0.059; post: p = 0.013), knee frontal peak angle (pre: p = 0.345; post: p = 0.014), knee horizontal nadir angle (pre: p = 0.056; post: p = 0.005), hip frontal nadir angle (pre: p = 0.103; post: p = 0.001) and peak lateral force (pre: p = 0.564; post: p = 0.001) after a 5 km run, but there were no gender differences before a 5 km run. Gender differences in the knee and hip movement in the frontal plane and horizontal plane and anterior-posterior GRFs changed obviously in the stance phase before and after a 5 km run. Conclusions: The gender difference in lower limb biomechanics during running is not constant. Differences change in peak angle, peak lateral force, knee and hip movement in the frontal plane and horizontal plane, and anterior-posterior GRFs between males and females were associated with the different incidence of running-related injuries, such as patellofemoral joint injuries, anterior cruciate ligament injury and iliotibial band syndrome, etc. These changes can give some concrete details to explore the different incidence rates of lower limb sports injuries between genders.

Incidence of sports injuries among female athletes at a university in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Background: Physical activity has a great impact on health, but inappropriate exercise may result in physical injuries. In Saudi Arabia, most data on sports injuries are mainly from male athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure the incidence rate and risk factors of sports injury among female athletes at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 180 PNU female athletes visiting a university sports club. Athletes were given an online questionnaire with questions about socio-demographic information, the type and duration of regularly performed exercise, whether they follow a healthy diet, warmup and stretching before and after exercise, history of sports injury, and history of emotional stress before the injury. Result: In the studied group, 54.4% of the participants were aged 20 years or younger, and about 69.4% had a normal body mass index. Almost daily exercise was reported by only 42.8%, while 12.2%, 17.2%, and 27.8% of the participants had one, two, and three exercise sessions per week, respectively. The percentages of participants who did some physical preparation before exercise, stretching before exercise, and stretching after exercise were 68.3%, 60.6%, and 78.3%, respectively. Most participants ate healthy food without a dietitian (50.6%), and only 8.9% consulted a dietitian. About 62.2% had a history of sports injury, and the most common injury was bruises (36.1%), followed by unidentified pain (28.3%), and muscle pain (25.6%). A history of emotional stress before the injury was reported by 39.4%. Conclusion: The prevalence of sports injuries among PNU female athletes is significantly high.