Risk Factors For Non-contact Injuries Research Articles

The interlimb and between gender differences in the performance of Y-balance test in healthy athletic students

Objectives. To investigate the gender effect on the performance of Y-balance test (YBT) and the interlimb differences in males and females. Methods. Thirty-six healthy athletic students aged 22 ± 2 years voluntarily participated in this study. YBT scores in_cm for anterior, posteromedial, posterolateral, and composite scores for dominant and non-dominant limbs were measured. YBT scores were used for the analysis. Independent_t-test was used to investigate the gender differences in YBT scores. Paired_t-test was used to examine the interlimb differences of YBT for males and females. Results. Males athletic student demonstrate greater reach scores in all direction for the non-dominant and dominant leg except the posteromedial reach direction for the dominant leg. In addition, male athletic students demonstrated significant interlimb differences in the posteromedial reach direction. Conclusions. Male athletic students demonstr`ated better dynamic balance compared to females. However, there was a_significant interlimb differences in the posteromedial reach direction which is known to be risk factor for non-contact injury for who participate in soccer.

The Influence of Physical Load on Dynamic Postural Control-A Systematic Replication Study.

Dynamic postural control is challenged during many actions in sport such as when landing or cutting. A decrease of dynamic postural control is one possible risk factor for non-contact injuries. Moreover, these injuries mainly occur under loading conditions. Hence, to assess an athlete’s injury risk properly, it is essential to know how dynamic postural control is influenced by physical load. Therefore, the study’s objective was to examine the influence of maximal anaerobic load on dynamic postural control. Sixty-four sport students (32 males and 32 females, age: 24.11 ± 2.42, height: 175.53 ± 8.17 cm, weight: 67.16 ± 10.08 kg) were tested with the Y-Balance Test before and after a Wingate Anaerobic Test on a bicycle ergometer. In both legs, reach distances (anterior) and composite scores were statistically significantly reduced immediately after the loading protocol. The values almost returned to pre-load levels in about 20 min post-load. Overall, findings indicate an acute negative effect of load on dynamic postural control and a higher potential injury risk during a period of about 20 min post-load. To assess an athlete’s sports-specific injury risk, we recommend testing dynamic postural control under loaded conditions.

No association between perceived exertion and session duration with hamstring injury occurrence in professional football.

Training and competition loads have emerged as modifiable composite risk factors of non-contact injury. Hamstring strains are the most common injuries in football with substantial burden on the individual player and club. Nevertheless, robust evidence of a consistent load-hamstring injury relationship in professional football is lacking. Using available data from the Qatar Stars League over three competitive seasons, this study investigated the separate and combined effects of perceived exertion and session duration on hamstring injury occurrence in a sample of 30 outfield football players. Load variables were calculated into 7-day, 14-day, 21-day, 28-day periods of data, and week-to-week changes for average ratings of perceived exertion (RPE; au) score and session-RPE (s-RPE; session-duration score), plus the cumulative training and match minutes and s-RPE, respectively. Conditional logistic regression models estimated load-injury relationships per 2-within-subject standard deviation increments in each candidate variable. Associations were declared practically important based on the location of the confidence interval in relation to thresholds of 0.90 and 1.11 defining small beneficial and harmful effects, respectively. The uncertainty for the corrected odds ratios show that typically high within-subject increments in each candidate variable were not practically important for training- and match-related hamstring injury (95% confidence intervals range: 0.85 to 1.16). We found limited exploratory evidence regarding the value of perceived exertion and session duration as etiological factors of hamstring injury in Middle-East professional football. Monitoring remains valuable to inform player load management strategies, but our exploratory findings suggest its role for type-specific injury risk determination appears empirically unsupported.

Does maturation influence neuromuscular performance and muscle damage after competitive match-play in youth male soccer players?

Poor neuromuscular control and fatigue have been proposed as a risk factor for non-contact injuries especially around peak height velocity (PHV). This study explored the effects of competitive soccer match-play on neuromuscular performance and muscle damage in male youth soccer players. 24 youth players aged 13-16y were split into a PHV group (−0.5 to 0.5y) and post PHV group (1.0–2.5y) based on maturity off-set. Leg stiffness, reactive strength index (RSI), muscle activation, creatine kinase (CK), and muscle soreness were determined pre and post a competitive soccer match. Paired t-tests were used to explore differences pre and post competitive match play and independent sample t-tests for between groups differences for all outcome measures. There was no significant fatigue-related change in absolute and relative leg stiffness or muscle activation in both groups, except for the gastrocnemius in the post PHV group. RSI, CK and perceived muscle soreness were significantly different after soccer match-play in both groups with small to large effects observed (ES:0.41–2.82). There were no significant differences between the groups pre match-play except for absolute and relative leg stiffness (P < 0.001; ES = 1.16 and 0.63 respectively). No significant differences were observed in the fatigue related responses to competitive match play between groups except for perceived muscle soreness. The influence of competitive match-play on neuromuscular function and muscle damage is similar in male youth around the time of PHV and those post-PHV indicating that other factors must contribute to the heightened injury risk around PHV.

Internal workload and non-contact injury: a one-season study of five teams from the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study

BackgroundInternal workload (ie, from training and matches) is considered one of the most important injury risk factors for elite European football teams, however there is little published evidence to support...

Risk Factors for Non-Contact Injury in Adolescent Cricket Pace Bowlers: A Systematic Review.

Adolescent cricket pace bowlers are prone to injury. Recognising the risk factors for non-contact injury in this population will aid future injury prevention strategies. To identify the risk factors for non-contact injury in adolescent cricket pace bowlers. We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, Embase, and the South African Journal of Sports Medicine to identify all experimental and observational studies reporting risk factors for non-contact injuries in pace bowlers (aged 12-19years). The search syntax included terms relevant to cricket bowling, injury, and known risk factors for injury. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale were used to assess the risk of bias in the cohort and cross-sectional studies, respectively. Sixteen studies (five cross-sectional studies, 11 cohort studies) comprising 687 participants (96% male, 75% playing cricket in Australia) met the selection criteria and were included for qualitative synthesis. Three cross-sectional studies were rated as high risk of bias and two as very high risk of bias. For the cohort studies, three were rated as low risk of bias, and eight as high risk of bias. Injury was associated with bowling biomechanics (excessive lateral trunk flexion and pelvis/hip kinematics), reduced trunk endurance, poor lumbo-pelvic-hip movement control, and early signs of lumbar bone stress. Conflicting results were found by studies examining the mixed technique, bowling workload and quadratus lumborum asymmetry. The current systematic review identified a number bowling biomechanics and various neuromuscular deficiencies as risk factors for non-contact injury in adolescent pace bowlers. These factors may provide a useful target for future interventional research aiming to prevent injury in this population. Future studies should utilise prospective cohort designs, and ensure that participants are injury-free at baseline, confounding factors are well controlled and attrition rates are reported. This systematic review was registered a priori (PROSPERO, CRD42016043956).

PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE ON THE EFFICACY OF CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

BackgroundThe training and match injury-incidence in professional men's football remains high and current preventive strategies only seem partially effective, allowing players to present with intrinsic weaknesses each consecutive season. Professional...

Muscular and neuromuscular control following soccer-specific exercise in male youth: Changes in injury risk mechanisms.

Poor neuromuscular control has been proposed as a risk factor for non-contact injuries, thus this study aimed to explore the effects of soccer-specific fatigue on leg muscle activation, reactive strength, leg stiffness, and functional hamstring/quadriceps ratio (H/QFUNC ) in elite male youth soccer players. Outcome measures were determined in 18 youth players (age 14.4±0.5years; stature 169.4± 9.9cm; mass 59.3±8.9kg; maturity offset 0.86±0.88 years) pre and post simulated soccer match play (SAFT90 ). There was no fatigue-related change in the H/QFUNC ; however, reactive strength and leg stiffness were both compromised (P<0.001) after soccer-specific fatigue. Muscle activation was also locally compromised (P<0.001) in the medial hamstring and quadriceps but not in the lateral muscles. Where statistically significant changes were observed, the effect sizes ranged from small to large (0.33-0.97). Compromised stiffness when fatigue is present suggests an increased yielding action, greater ground contact times, greater center of mass displacement, and less efficient movement when the limb comes into contact with the ground. This combined with a reduction in medial quadriceps muscle activation may reflect poor kinetic chain control at the hip and an increase in knee injury risk.

Functional Tests Do Not Differ Between Injured and Not Injured in Division I Female Athletes

The Y-balance Test (YBT), single (SLH), triple (TH), and crossover (XH) hop test for distance and the tuck jump assessment (TJA) are functional movement tests that assess single leg limb control and dynamic movement performance, which has been suggested to influence injury rates. Identifying risk factors for non-contact injury may help with injury prevention. Purpose: To describe functional tests performance in Division I (DI) female college athletes and to compare performance between those who sustained a non-contact injury with those who did not. METHODS: 82 female athletes (age: 19.3 yrs ± 0.3, ht: 168.6 cm ± 1.9, wt: 66.3 kg ± 3.5) were screened and excluded if currently injured or not in appropriate testing attire. Participants completed YBT anterior reach (n=82), hop tests (n=60) and TJA (n=51) during pre-participation examination. Athletes competed in the sport season and non-contact injury data was collected from injury reports created by athletic training staff. Asymmetry with YBT anterior reach and hop tests was calculated as the difference in performance between the right and left leg. Hop tests were also normalized to leg length. The TJA assessed 10 standardized flaws with a total score as the sum of the 10 flaws. The difference between those injured and uninjured with all tests was calculated using independent t-tests. RESULTS: 17 student-athletes reported a non-contact injury. No associations were found between non-contact injury and functional tests (Table 1). Results for left leg hop tests were similar to results on the right. CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant differences were found between the occurrence of DI female athlete’s non-contact injury and YBT scores, SLH, TH, XH, or TJA scores. In this cohort of DI female athletes, the functional tests had limited utility in identifying individuals at risk for non-contact injury.

Quality of functional movement patterns and injury examination in elite-level male professional football players.

The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of functional movement patterns among one of Hungary's first league soccer clubs, where the elite male football players (N = 20) utilize the well-established Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS) system; a comprehensive functional program designed to determine and identify the quality of movement and the greatest risk factors for non-contact injuries. Furthermore, an additional purpose of this program is to examine injuries over the course of 6 competitive months. Focusing on the mechanisms of injuries and their causes in the lower extremities during this period is one of the key objectives. Over the course of 6 months we found significant differences between ankle injuries and the FMS Hurdle Step exercise (p < 0.05), and the FMS Deep Squat exercise and knee and hip injuries (p < 0.05). The FMS pre-screening system found lower limb asymmetry present in 40% of the participants. The authors believe that the importance of preventative measures and structural sport specific pre-screening cannot be overemphasized, and that there is a growing need for further transparent research in this field in order to be more effective with regard to programs dedicated to injury prevention and the enhancement players' physical performance.

The effect of external ankle support on the kinematics and kinetics of the lower limb during a side step cutting task in netballers.

BackgroundExcessive knee valgus moments are considered to be a risk factor for non-contact injuries in female athletes. Knee injuries are highly prevalent in netballers and are significant in terms of cost and disability. The aim of the study was to identify if changes in external ankle support mechanisms effect the range of motion and loading patterns at the ankle and knee joint during a sidestep cutting manoeuvre in high performance netball players.MethodsNetballers with no previously diagnosed ankle or knee injury (n = 10) were recruited from NSW Institute of Sport netball programme. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected simultaneously using a 3-D Motion Analysis System and a force platform to measure ground reaction forces. Players performed repeated side step cutting manoeuvres whilst wearing a standard netball shoe, the same shoe with a lace-up brace and a high-top shoe.ResultsThe brace condition significantly reduced ankle joint ROM in the sagittal plane by 8.9° ± 2.4 when compared to the standard netball shoe (p = 0.013). No other significant changes were seen between conditions for either kinematic or kinetic data. All shoe conditions did however produce knee valgus moments throughout the cutting cycle that were greater than those considered excessive in the previous literature (0.59 Nm/kg-Bwt).ConclusionsThe results show that an external ankle support brace can be used to reduce the ROM at the ankle in the sagittal plane without affecting the loading of the joints of the lower limb. Internal varus moments generated at the knee during the task were however greater than values reported in the literature to classify excessive knee joint moments, regardless of the condition. All netballers exhibited lower extremity patterns and alignments previously associated with increased peak external valgus moments including; increasing hip abduction, peak hip flexion and internal rotation during early contact and high laterally directed ground reaction forces. Increased external valgus knee loads have been strongly linked to the development of non-contact injuries at the knee in female athletes and could highlight a potential mechanism for the development non-contact knee injuries in netballers performing side step cutting tasks.

Risk factors, testing and preventative strategies for non-contact injuries in professional football: current perceptions and practices of 44 teams from various premier leagues

PurposeLittle is known about injury prevention practices in professional football clubs. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the current perceptions and practices of premier league football clubs...

Association of Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury With Presence and Thickness of a Bony Ridge on the Anteromedial Aspect of the Femoral Intercondylar Notch

Background: Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries are among the most common injuries in sports medicine, and identification of risk factors for noncontact injury is an area of active research. Hypothesis: Evaluation of the femoral notch along the path of the anterior cruciate ligament may elucidate anatomical risk factors previously unseen on conventional images. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Twenty-seven patients with noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries were matched to healthy individuals for height, weight, age, and sex in this case-control study. Sagittal magnetic resonance images of the contralateral knee of the injured patients and randomized knees of the healthy controls were digitally transformed for viewing along the plane of the anterior cruciate ligament and evaluated for abnormalities of femoral notch outlet shape. Femoral notch shape was also evaluated by computer-generated surface models of the knee. Results: A bone ridge was observed on the medial side of the anterior notch outlet, and increasing ridge thickness was strongly associated with noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury (3.87 ± 2.17 mm in injured and 2.16 ±1.80 mm in controls; P = .0014). Anterior and posterior femoral notch outlet stenosis were both significantly associated with noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury (P = .0008 and .02, respectively), although anterior outlet stenosis became nonsignificant when stratified by the presence of an anteromedial bone ridge. Finally, images directed through the femoral notch with the knee at 45° of flexion provided an unobstructed view for ridge detection that may be utilized in plain radiography. Conclusion: The presence and thickness of an anteromedial bone ridge in the femoral notch has been identified as a potential risk factor for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury. A biomechanical injury model involving the femoral notch ridge in anterior cruciate ligament tears is proposed in which the anterior cruciate ligament may be tented and stretched over the anteromedial notch ridge during knee valgus and internal tibial rotation; alternatively, the anterior cruciate ligament may be impinged at the lateral anterior outlet wall during knee valgus and external tibial rotation. Further investigation to determine the origin of the bone ridges and the validity of the proposed injury model is recommended.