Sports Injuries In Athletes Research Articles

Identification of specific injury-related SNPs in high-level athletes of Arab origin: A pilot study

Valuable insights for preventing sports injuries in athletes have been achieved through advancements in genetics. This study aimed to determine the allelic frequency of distinct single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a group of high-level athletes of Arab origin and to explore whether any significant relationship exists between specific genotypes in the selected SNPs with the prevalence and severity of non-contact soft tissue injuries (NCSTIs) and stress fracture injuries (SFIs). A cohort of 30 Arab male adult athletes trained at the same Sports excellence Centre from various individual sports was recruited and genotyped for collagen type 5 alpha 1 (COL5A1) rs12722 and vitamin D receptor (VDR) rs10735810 variants. The injury data of participant athletes were collected over two training seasons and categorized according to the site and type (muscle, tendon, ligament, or stress fracture) and severity (mild, moderate, or severe). For the COL5A1 rs12722, the examined genotypes were not related to the NCSTIs occurrence, while for VDR rs10735810, the CT and TT genotypes showed a prevalence for increased stress fracture injuries (RR = 7.72; 95 % CI: 1.66–35.87; p = 0.011 and RR = 9.93; 95 % CI: 2.83–34.89; p < 0.001, respectively), and increased odds for severe stress fractures (OR = 10.91, 95 % CI: 1.34–126.92, p = 0.033). This pilot study indicates a possible association between specific genotypes in the examined polymorphisms and the prevalence and severity of NCSTIs and SFIs. Given the constraints of the small sample size in the current study, additional research is required to gain a comprehensive understanding of this specific population.

Sports injuries in athletes with disabilities

The aim of the study was to determine the type and localization of sports injuries in people with disabilities who play sports professionally or recreationally and to examine whether there was a difference in sports injuries between these two categories of para-athletes. The research sample consisted of 30 men with an average age of 40.96 years. The sample had two subsamples. The first group consisted of 13 respondents who participated in para-sports professionally. The second group comprised of 17 respondents who take part in para-sports recreationally. The respondents trained individual and team para-sports (parashooting, parataekwondo, paraswimming, paracycling, para-athletics, para-table tennis, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball). A questionnaire was created to gather overall demographic data, and a part of the Musculoskeletal Discomfort Form was used to localize musculoskeletal complaints. Descriptive statistics, measures of central tendency, the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were applied. The results showed that 76.6% of all para-athletes have suffered at least one injury, with most injuries occurring during training (63.3%). Shoulder trauma and soft tissue injuries were the most common. Both subsamples reported that they had experienced the most problems in the form of pain, discomfort and numbness in the neck and lower back. As far as people with disabilities are concerned, participation in para-sports carries inseparable and associated risks. Therefore, the data achieved in this study can be used in order to understand the risk factors leading to injury which are specific to para-athletes (disability-sport) and to develop injury prevention programs.

Characteristics of Sports Injuries in Athletes During the Winter Olympics: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Athletes in the Winter Olympic Games are subject to high injury rates given the physical demands of sports. Comprehensive data regarding injury characteristics in these athletes are limited. To summarize and analyze data regarding the incidence and characteristics of sports injuries occurring in the Winter Olympic Games. Scoping review; Level of evidence, 4. A systematic review of the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was conducted. Included were studies reporting the incidence of sports injuries during the Winter Olympics Games from 1995 through 2021. From 168 studies initially retrieved, 4 studies (8824 athletes, 1057 injured athletes) were included. A single-group meta-analysis of sports injury characteristics was performed, with subgroup analysis performed according to the different sports, injury locations, and injury types. Injury severity (time lost from sport) and mechanism were also assessed. The overall injury incidence rate (IIR) during the Winter Olympic Games was 9.6% (95% CI, 4.1%-19.8%). Snow sports were associated with the highest IIR (11.3%), with the top 3 events being the snowboard cross event in snowboarding (31.4%), the aerials event in freestyle skiing (28.6%), and the slopestyle event in snowboarding (27.7%). The most common injury locations were the knee (IIR = 20.0%; 95% CI 17.9%-22.0%), head (IIR = 10.6%; 95% CI, 9.4%-11.9%), and ankle (IIR = 8.2%; 95% CI 7.8%-8.7%). The most common injury types were contusion/hematoma/bruise (IIR = 29.9%; 95% CI 29.7%-30.0%), sprain (dislocation, subluxation, instability, ligamentous, rupture) (IIR = 21.9%; 95% CI 21.4%-22.3%), and strain (muscle rupture, tear, tendon rupture) (IIR = 11.3%; 95% CI 11.0%-11.6%). Regarding injury severity, most athletes had no time lost from sport (64.5%); 24.0% lost fewer than 7 days, and 11.5% lost more than 7 days. The most common injury mechanism was noncontact-related injury (63.3%). In Winter Olympics sports, snow-sport injuries were more common than those associated with other sports, and the most common injury location was the knee. Most injuries did not require time loss, and the most were noncontact-related injuries.

Mapping the Injury History of Indonesian Kabaddi Athletes

Sports injuries in athletes will affect their performance. The purpose of this study was to determine and find out the common injuries experienced by Kabaddi athletes in Indonesia. This study used a quantitative descriptive research design. The instrument used in this study was an injury report questionnaire. The questions focused on anthropometry, types of injury, and causes of injury. The population of this study was Kabaddi athletes spread across provinces in Indonesia. The samples of this study were taken using a purposive sampling technique. The inclusive criterion included Kabaddi athletes who had or were currently experiencing injuries. The samples of the study were 41 athletes (n = 41). In female Kabaddi athletes, the most common injuries were found in the upper body and experienced by athletes in the defender position (61.5%). Injuries to the lower body were mostly experienced by a raider (38.5%). The body parts that were commonly injured in male Kabaddi athletes, especially to the upper body, involved mostly wrist injuries (14.29%) followed by shoulder/clavicle and upper arm injuries (7.14%). In the lower body, the most common injuries were on the knees (21.43%) and ankles (17.86%). Meanwhile, in other parts of the body, the injury mostly occurred on the head, such as the face, nose, and mouth, (10.71%). In female Kabaddi athletes, the most common injuries occurred to the upper body, including to the shoulder/clavicle (30.77%). Meanwhile, in the lower body, the injury mostly occurred to the ankle (15.38%). This study shows that the most common injuries to male Kabaddi athletes in Indonesia are injuries to the lower body, namely the knee, and ankle, while the most common injury to female Kabaddi athletes is an injury to the upper body, namely the shoulder/clavicle.

Causal inference with recurrent and competing events.

Many research questions concern treatment effects on outcomes that can recur several times in the same individual. For example, medical researchers are interested in treatment effects on hospitalizations in heart failure patients and sports injuries in athletes. Competing events, such as death, complicate causal inference in studies of recurrent events because once a competing event occurs, an individual cannot have more recurrent events. Several statistical estimands have been studied in recurrent event settings, with and without competing events. However, the causal interpretations of these estimands, and the conditions that are required to identify these estimands from observed data, have yet to be formalized. Here we use a formal framework for causal inference to formulate several causal estimands in recurrent event settings, with and without competing events. When competing events exist, we clarify when commonly used classical statistical estimands can be interpreted as causal quantities from the causal mediation literature, such as (controlled) direct effects and total effects. Furthermore, we show that recent results on interventionist mediation estimands allow us to define new causal estimands with recurrent and competing events that may be of particular clinical relevance in many subject matter settings. We use causal directed acyclic graphs and single world intervention graphs to illustrate how to reason about identification conditions for the various causal estimands based on subject matter knowledge. Furthermore, using results on counting processes, we show that our causal estimands and their identification conditions, which are articulated in discrete time, converge to classical continuous time counterparts in the limit of fine discretizations of time. We propose estimators and establish their consistency for the various identifying functionals. Finally, we use the proposed estimators to compute the effect of blood pressure lowering treatment on the recurrence of acute kidney injury using data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.

LESÃO ESPORTIVA E REABILITAÇÃO DA ARTICULAÇÃO DO OMBRO NO VOLEIBOL

ABSTRACT Introduction: Volleyball is a high-intensity sport, and sports injuries are not rare. The shoulder joint has the highest incidence of injury among the most injured joints. Objective: Study the shoulder joint injury during volleyball practice and explore the effects of its rehabilitation. Methods: The article used an experimental control with 40 athletes with shoulder joint injuries, randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed comprehensive shoulder joint rehabilitation training lasting 30 minutes daily. The control group performed traditional massages of the same duration and frequency. The experiment lasted 8 weeks, and the data on the shoulder joint injuries and the performance of the volleyball players were recorded and statistically analyzed. Results: The experimental group's scores stood out compared to the control group regarding flexibility and functional performance. Conclusion: Integral rehabilitation training showed greater efficacy in shoulder joint rehabilitation and may effectively reduce the risk of secondary sports injuries in athletes. Its promotion in the current rehabilitation and sports training scenario is valid and can be promoted. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

LESÕES CAUSADAS POR FADIGA ORIUNDAS DE TREINOS AERÓBICOS EM ATLETAS DE SALTO ESPORTIVO

ABSTRACT Introduction The increasingly tense and aggressive competition in the competitive sports field has led to a continuous increase in the athletes’ exercise load. Sports injuries resulting from this increased load are also increasing. Research in this area helps prevent jumping sports injuries and guides protocols for treatment. Currently, research on sports injuries in athletics jumping events is relatively rare. Objective This paper examines sports injuries in sport jumping athletes. Methods This article investigates injuries in 16 vault athletes with 5 to 10 years of training. Results Distance jumping is a significant risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament injuries. The risk of injury when landing on one foot is more significant than when landing on both feet. Especially when the body is in a state of neuromuscular fatigue, this will significantly increase the risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury. Conclusion Excessive local exercise load, incorrect technical movements, and physical fatigue are the leading causes of sports injuries. Coaches should organize training and competitions reasonably. Athletes need to reinforce the protection of the knees, ankles, and other frequently injured parts. Evidence Level II; Therapeutic Studies - Investigating the result.

Influence of Stress and Anxiety on Sports Injuries in Athletes

An athlete does not only require to be fit physically but also requires to be fit psychologically for their successful performance in sports activities. Hence, it is essential to understand the psychological risk factors which contribute to sport injuries in athletes. For this review, literature search in the international databases of PubMed, MEDLINE and Google Scholar was done by using following keywords: ‘sports injury’, ‘stress’, ‘anxiety’, ‘athletic injury’, ‘psychology’, ‘predictors’ and ‘athletes’. The studies published from 1992 to March 2020 and in the English language were included in this review. Of 120 articles obtained by the end of this search process, 18 full text articles were finally selected. Most of the study designs were cross-sectional studies or surveys, cohort studies and descriptive studies. The results indicated that stress and anxiety are two notable psychological variables which are associated with predicting injury in different sports and found to be significant with the incidence of sports injuries among athletes of different sports. It was found that stress and anxiety can influence the risk of injuries, injury frequency, and injury severity in athletes.

Kinesio Taping Use for the Prevention and Treatment of Sports Injuries in Athletes

"Kinesio taping (KT) is a simple, cost-effective, affordable and safe rehabilitation method that is currently used for enabling natural healing, as it ensures local support and stability, and corrects joint position, helping athletes to quickly recover after minor or even major injuries, and to increase their athletic performance. KT helps weakened muscles, improves local blood and lymph flow, reduces pain, removes the abnormal tension accumulated at the muscle level, alleviates muscle fatigue associated to exercising and decreases the exercise-related disruption of dynamic balance. All these effects contribute to the post-injury recovery of athletes. KT is frequently used in the acute postoperative recovery after the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, in conjunction with the rehabilitation program, as it reduces edema and pain, and increases the range and force of movement. Another frequent use of KT is in patellar tendinopathy and in reducing the risk of injury as a result of balance impairment produced by muscle fatigue. The effect of KT on the range of joint motion remains unclear, and its use is still controversial, as there are many trials that do not show any beneficial effects thereof, especially in terms of effects on muscle strength and activity, and of tendon flexibility. Keywords: kinesio taping, rehabilitation, athletes, recovery, sport performance."

Use of Acupuncture for the Treatment of Sports-Related Injuries in Athletes: A Systematic Review of Case Reports.

Acupuncture is one of the representative complementary and alternative medicine treatments used for various types of pain. This systematic review summarized and analyzed clinical case reports/series utilizing acupuncture for treating sports injuries in athletes, thereby providing the basis for further research to establish clinical evidence on acupuncture treatment in sports medicine. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Embase including MEDLINE up to 21 August 2019 without language and publication date restrictions. Due to the heterogeneity of each study, explanatory and descriptive analyses were performed. As a result, in each case report/series, it was confirmed that acupuncture was applied for treating various types of sports injuries experienced by athletes. Acupuncture can help relieve short-term pain and recover from dysfunction and has been used as a useful, noninvasive, and conservative modality for managing sports injuries such as lateral meniscus rupture, femoral acetabular impingement, ganglion cysts, and sports hernia. In addition, acupuncture has been suggested as a treatment worth trying for diseases such as yips and delayed onset muscle soreness. The included cases showed some potential of acupuncture in the treatment of various types of sports injuries, beyond pain control in musculoskeletal disorders. However, considering that this review was based on case reports/series, a limited understanding of the clinical value of acupuncture in athletes is required. In the future, more specific research questions and hypotheses should be addressed to generate evidence based on experimental research.

Pre-participation Evaluations And The Relative Risk Of Injuries In Ugandan Sports

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the relative risk of sports injuries based on pre-participation evaluation among Uganda athletes. METHODS: This cohort included 546 athletes, > or = 18 years old, who were free from injury at the beginning of the study. This investigation focused on the relative risk of injuries from 4 main sports (football/soccer n= 161, track and field, n= 106, basketball, n = 120 and rugby, n= 159). RESULTS: After a one year follow up, seventy- five lost-time injuries (n= 75) in both male and female athletes who sustained abrasions, concussion, contusion, dislocations, laceration, fainting, fractures, sprains and strain injuries were reported. There was an increased risk of sports injuries among athletes who didn’t undergo pre-participation evaluation compared to those who did. The relative risk for sports injuries in athletes without pre-participation evaluation was greater in rugby (relative risk, 21.8, 95% CI, 13.6 - 33.88), followed by football/soccer (relative risk, 21.6, 95% CI, 3.1 - 33.78), followed by track and field (relative risk, 14.1, 95% CI, 9.0- 23.17) and basketball (relative risk, 12.2, 95% CI, 7.56 to 19.63). CONCLUSION: Pre-participation evaluation is an important risk factor in sports injury acquisition. Our findings reveal gaps in practice among personnel involved in the prevention of sports-related injuries in Uganda, thus warranting specific sports regulations.

Sports Injuries in Athletes with Disabilities

본 연구는 장애인운동선수들의 스포츠상해유형에 대하여 알아봄으로써 장애인 운동선수들의 상해 예방 및 치료, 관리, 운영방안에 기초적 자료를 제공하고자 한다. 2015년에 전국장애인체육대회에 참가한 선수 171명을 대상으로 스포츠상해관련 설문을 조사하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 상해 부위는 어깨, 손가락, 손목 순으로 상해 빈도가 가장 높았으며, 상해 유형으로는 타박상, 근육통, 염좌 순으로 높게 나타났다. 생해기전으로는 선수들과의 접촉, 기구와의 접촉으로 인한 상해가 가장 많이 발생되었다. 상해발생원인으 로는 과도한 승부욕으로 인한 상해 발생가 가장 많았으며, 게임 중에 가장 많이 부상을 당한다고 하였다. 만성적 통증 부위 역시 어깨가 가장 많았으며 다음으로는 대퇴, 손목 순으로 나타났다. 상해 직후 처치는 감독이나 코치, 자가 치료가 순으로 가장 많았으며 치료는 파스나 스프레이를 이용한 치료방법이 가장 많았으며, 치료방법은 물리치료가 가장 많았다. 상해 예방방법으로 준비운동과 정리이 필요하다는 응답이 가장 많았으며 그 다음으로는 체력 훈련이 필요하다고 응답하였다. 이상의 결과를 통해, 장애인 선수들의 상해 예방 및 치료, 관리를 위한 체계적이고, 과학적인 체력관리 및 재활훈련 프로그램 제공을 위한 후속연구가 필요하다.The purpose of this study was to analyze sports injuries in athletes with disabilities during the 2015 National Games in Korea. We conducted a survey to assess sport injuries in 171 male athletes with disabilities who participated in this study. The shoulder was most frequently injured, followed by the fingers and low back. Contusions were the most common type of injury, and were usually caused by collisions with teammates or contact with equipment. Injuries often occur during enthusiastic play in both competition and practice sessions. Injured athletes are emergently treated with medicated spray and patch application by the head coach. Warm-up and cool-down exercises are recommended to prevent injury, and physical therapy is effective after an injury occurs. Based on these findings, an injury prevention training program and athletic trainers should be provided for athletes with disabilities to ensure appropriate care and rehabilitation.

Do Exercisers With Musculoskeletal Injuries Report Symptoms of Depression and Stress?

Sports injuries in athletes can lead to negative emotional responses in terms of anger, anxiety, confusion, and sadness. Severe injuries can be understood as a stressful life event with increased levels of psychological distress, but injury assessment and rehabilitation typically focus on somatic symptoms. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depression and emotional stress and to measure self-rated health in regular exercisers presenting to a sports medicine clinic with musculoskeletal injury. The secondary aim was to identify psychosocial factors associated with depression in injured exercisers and the potential need for psychological counseling. A cross-sectional survey study. A sports medicine clinic for injuries of the foot, knee, or shoulder. Regular exercisers with present injuries (N = 694) and exercisers without injuries (N = 494). Regular exercisers were defined as those undertaking moderate exercise at least once a week. A questionnaire survey completed on paper by patients in a sports medicine clinic and a web-based version completed by online sports communities. Participants completed the Major Depression Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, health-related quality of life, and questions on sociodemographics, exercise habits, and injury history. Symptoms of depression were reported by 12% of injured exercisers and 5% of noninjured controls (P < .001). Clinical stress was found in 30% of injured exercisers and 22% of controls (P = .002), and the EQ-5D-5L Visual Analog Scale score was lower for injured (69 [SD = 19]) than noninjured exercisers (87 [SD = 13], P < .001). Injured exercisers with symptoms of depression reported high stress levels and impaired daily functioning, were younger, and were more likely to have over 10 days injury-related work absence. The authors recommend psychological assessment of exercisers attending a sports medicine clinic for musculoskeletal injury and a supplemental clinical psychological interview for suspected depression or stress-related psychopathology.

Caracterización de la lesión deportiva en atletas caucanos con proyección a Juegos Deportivos Nacionales

Objetivo: Caracterizar las lesiones deportivas en atletas caucanos, que se preparan para su participación en los Juegos Deportivos Nacionales 2015. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo de corte transversal realizado con los deportistas caucanos con proyección a Juegos Deportivos Nacionales, atendidos en el servicio de Fisioterapia de la Unidad Biomédica de Indeportes Cauca, durante el período comprendido entre diciembre de 2013 y julio de 2015; la información fue colectada a través de la ficha de características socio demográficas y clínicas de la Unidad Biomédica de Indeportes, Cauca; las variables estudiadas fueron: edad, sexo, estrato, mes de atención, deporte practicado, zona del cuerpo lesionada, tipo de lesión y diagnóstico médico de remisión. Resultados: El deporte que más lesiones presentó fue bádminton con el 100% de lesionados, seguido de judo con el 13,9%, fútbol de salón con el 12,1% y voleibol con el 8,7%; las tendinopatías y las lesiones ligamentosas ocuparon el primer lugar de incidencia con el 50,6% de las lesiones deportivas, la zona más comprometida correspondió a los miembros inferiores. Conclusiones: El estudio documenta las lesiones por cada práctica deportiva con la finalidad de realizar un programa de prevención y seguimiento a las lesiones, el cual redundará en el rendimiento de las ligas y en los resultados de los deportistas caucanos.AbstractObjective: To characterize the sports injuries in athletes from the department of Cauca, that are getting prepared for their participation in the National Sport Games in 2015. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out with the athletes from Cauca with projection to National Sport games, who were attended in the physiotherapy service of the Biomedicine Unit of Indeportes Cauca during December 2013 and July 2015. The information was collected through the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics file of the Biomedicine Unit of Indeportes Cauca. The variables studied were: age, sex, stratum, month of attention, practiced sport, injured area of the body, type of injury and medical diagnosis of remission. Results: The sport that presented more lesions was badminton with 100% of injured people, followed by Judo with 13.9%, indoor soccer with 12.1% and volleyball with 8.7%. The tendinopathies and ligament injuries occupied the first place of incidence with 50.6% of sports injuries, the most affected area was the lower limbs. Conclusions: The study documents the lesions each sport reports with the purpose of performing a program of prevention and follow-up to the injury, which will result in the performance of the leagues and the results of the sportsmen from Cauca.

The Application and Effectiveness of Yoga in Prevention and Rehabilitation of Sport Injuries in Athletes Participating in Competitive Sport

Abstract The purpose of the study is to review literature for scientific studies about application and effectiveness of yoga in rehabilitation &amp; prevention of sports injuries in athletes participating in competitive sports. The author conducted a comprehensive search of open access articles of major scientific databases including PuBMed, SCIENCEDIRECT, EBSCO, SCOPUS, Web of Science, etc.. No significant scientific studies were found relating to the application of yoga in rehabilitation and prevention of sport injury. Four studies were selected based on inclusion criteria. One pilot study has included yoga as part of sport conditioning and has investigated use of yoga for flexibility and incidence of non-contact injuries in baseball athletes. The other studies include a clinical example that has used yoga as part of the seven point program in injury treatment of elite football players, an intervention that has included yoga in high-volume training program and a randomised control trial that has evaluated effect of yoga in flexibility and balance among athletes. Conclusions: There is scope for further studies to examine the effect of yoga as an adjunct intervention in rehabilitation of select sports injuries for athletes in competitive sport. There is potential to include sport-specific yoga programs in athletic training for prevention of non-contact injuries.

Immediate pain relief effect of low level laser therapy for sports injuries: Randomized, double-blind placebo clinical trial.

To determine the immediate pain relief effect of low-level laser therapy on sports injuries in athletes and degree of pain relief by the therapy. Double-blind, randomized, comparative clinical study. Participants were 32 college athletes with motion pain at a defined site. Participants were randomized into two groups in which the tested or placebo laser therapy was administered to determine pain intensity from painful action before and after laser irradiation, using the Modified Numerical Rating Scale. The post-therapeutic Modified Numerical Rating Scale score was subtracted from the pre-therapeutic Modified Numerical Rating Scale score to determine pain intensity difference, and the rate of pain intensity difference to pre-therapeutic Modified Numerical Rating Scale was calculated as pain relief rate. Low-level laser therapy was effective in 75% of the laser group, whereas it was not effective in the placebo group, indicating a significant difference in favor of the laser group (p<0.001). Pain relief rate was significantly higher in the laser group than in the placebo group (36.94% vs. 8.20%, respectively, p<0.001), with the difference in pain relief rate being 28.74%. Low-level laser therapy provided an immediate pain relief effect, reducing pain by 28.74%. It was effective for pain relief in 75% of participants.

Aquatic Physical Therapy in the Rehabilitation of Athletic Injuries: A Systematic Review of the Literatures

This review aimed to analyze the evidence of the effects of aquatic physical therapy in athletes and persons who participate in sports activities. Pertinent databases were searched from the beginning of databases until June 2015 to determine the effectiveness of aquatic physical therapy in the rehabilitation of sports injuries in athletes and/or individual who enjoy sports activities. A total of 311 articles were identified. Eight articles met the inclusion criteria, and the average methodological quality on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was 7. Aquatic physical therapy in the rehabilitation of sports injuries improved pain, range of motion, muscle strength, balance ability, and performance, but the evidence regarding benefits of aquatic physical therapy compared to land-based physical therapy was inconclusive. Further investigation is therefore needed to clarify this.

Características psicológicas asociadas a la incidencia de lesiones en deportistas de modalidades individuales

Title: Psychological characteristics associated with the incidence of sports injuries in athletes of individual sport. Abstract: Sports injuries are one of the most negative consequences result- ing from the practice of sports. There are many factors that may cause them, and right now there is growing interest in the psychological variables associated to their causes. The present study evaluated 84 athletes from four individual disciplines, different categories of competition and competi- tive level. 247 injuries were recorded during a two-year period with an aver- age of 2.94 per athlete (1.47 per year). Statistically significant differences between the four studied sports injuries have been found. The older ath- letes suffered more injuries, as well as those with higher levels of perfor- mance. By administering the 16PF-5, IPED and SCAT, we find that ath- letes with low scores on Emotional Stability and Negative Energy Control, and high scores in Anxiety, have a higher injury rate. No injured subjects present a difference with the injured ones in their higher levels of Emo- tional Stability, Privateness and Openness to change, Control Coping, as well as in their lower Anxiety levels. Statistically significant correlations ex- ist between the number of injuries and the athletes' scores in Emotional Stability, Tension, Apprehension, Anxiety, and competitive trait anxiety.

Sportsmen’s Groin—Diagnostic Approach and Treatment With the Minimal Repair Technique: A Single-Center Uncontrolled Clinical Review

Context:Sportsmen’s groin, also called sports hernia and Gilmore groin, is one of the most frequent sports injuries in athletes and may place an athletic career at risk. It presents with acute or chronic groin pain exacerbated with physical activity. So far, there is little consensus regarding pathogenesis, diagnostic criteria, or treatment. There have been various attempts to explain the cause of the groin pain. The assumption is that a circumscribed weakness in the posterior wall of the inguinal canal, which leads to a localized bulge, induces a compression of the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve, considered responsible for the symptoms.Methods:The authors developed an innovative open suture repair—the Minimal Repair technique—to fit the needs of professional athletes. With this technique, the circumscribed weakness of the posterior wall of the inguinal canal is repaired by an elastic suture; the compression on the nerve is abolished, and the cause of the pain is removed. In contrast with that of common open suture repairs, the defect of the posterior wall is not enlarged, the suture is nearly tension free, and the patient can return to full training and athletic activity within a shorter time. The outcome of patients undergoing operations with the Minimal Repair technique was compared with that of commonly used surgical procedures.Results:The following advantages of the Minimal Repair technique were found: no insertion of prosthetic mesh, no general anesthesia required, less traumatization, and lower risk of severe complications with equal or even faster convalescence. In 2009, a prospective cohort of 129 patients resumed training in 7 days and experienced complete pain relief in an average of 14 days. Professional athletes (67%) returned to full activity in 14 days (median).Conclusion:The Minimal Repair technique is an effective and safe way to treat sportsmen’s groin.

Sports injuries in athletes with disabilities: wheelchair racing.

This study investigates the incidence of sports injuries in athletes who participate in wheelchair racing in the UK. Wheelchair racing has been identified as one of the top 'injury risk' sports but little information is available as to the incidence or type of injury sustained by British athletes. A questionnaire was used to collect information about injuries sustained in the last 12 months. Members of the British Wheelchair Racing Association (BWRA) were sent questionnaires. Most subjects (72%) reported having at least one injury within the previous 12 months. Training variables such as the distance pushed per week (Mann-Whitney U = 61, P > 0.05), the amount of speed training (Mann-Whitney U = 110, P > 0.05), the number of weight training sessions (Mann-Whitney U = 26, P > 0.05) or the length of time the athlete had been involved in wheelchair racing (Mann-Whitney U = 103, P > 0.05) were not associated with the occurrence of an injury. Overuse injuries were common and recurred more often than other types of injuries (chi 2 = 3.95, P < 0.05). Those athletes with recurring injuries also tended to be those who restarted training before they were pain-free from their injury (chi 2 = 5.31, P < 0.05). There appears to be a link between overuse injuries, the presence of pain during training and the recurrence of injuries. A lack of knowledge about sports injuries, what causes them and what to do following an injury may contribute to the high incidence of overuse injuries in this group of athletes.