Biomechanical technology of injury prevention in the training of specialists in physical education and sports

Purpose: to develop and experimentally test the biomechanical technology of injury prevention of future specialists in physical education and sports in the process of professional training (rock climbing for example). Material and Methods. The participants of this study were 84 male students engaged in amateur climbing aged 18-19 years. All athletes were also students of physical education faculties of Ukrainian universities; 40 athletes were in the experimental group and 44 athletes were in the control group. The biomechanical technology for injury prevention in the training of specialists in physical education and sports has been developed on rock climbing for example. Developed biomechanical technology for injury prevention contains 3 areas: 1 - theoretical; 2 - analytical; 3 - practical. Injury risk (incidence) was defined as the number of injuries to the total number of athletes in the analyzed group. Relative risk (incidence rate ratio) was determined by the ratio of risk in the control group to the risk in the experimental group. The chance of injury was defined as the ratio of the number of injuries to the number of uninjured athletes in the analyzed group. The relative chance (Odds Ratio) was defined as the chances of injury in the control group to the chances of injury in the experimental group. These indicators were determined separately for low, medium and severe finger injuries. Results. The applied technology of injury prevention significantly influences the reduction of the number of injuries of athletes – future specialists on the physical education and sports (on rock climbing for example). It is established that the application of the developed technology of injury prevention reduces the risk of finger injuries: low complexity – in 2.364 times (95% CI = 0.925-6.041, P> 0,05) times; medium complexity – in 3.333 times (95% CI = 1.001-11.096, P (Fisher) = 0.030); high complexity – in 8.182 times (95% CI = 1.084-61.749, P (Fisher) = 0.011). Conclusions. The application of the developed biomechanical technology of injury prevention in the process of training specialists in physical education and sports significantly reduces the risk of injury to students.

Hand Injuries in the Polish Silesian Paediatric Population—An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study of Post-Traumatic X-rays

Background and objectives: In the paediatric population, hand injuries are one of the most frequent injuries and the second most frequent area of fracture. It is estimated that hand injuries account for up to 23% of the trauma-related causes of emergency department visits. Not only are they a significant factor in health care costs, but they may also lead to detrimental and long-term consequences for the patient. The discrepancy observed between the published studies suggests a geographical variation in their epidemiology. The aim of this study is to determine the localisation of injuries and fractures involving the hand in the paediatric population of the Polish Silesia region. This exploratory cross-sectional study involved 1441 post-traumatic hand X-ray examinations performed at the Department of Diagnostic Imaging of the John Paul II Upper Silesian Child Health Centre in Katowice between January and December 2014. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 656 girls and 785 boys who were 11.65 ± 3.50 and 11.51 ± 3.98 years old, respectively (range: 1–18 years). All examinations were evaluated for the location of the injury and presence of fracture(s). Results: Finger injuries were dominant (n = 1346), with the fifth finger being the most frequently injured (n = 381). The majority of injuries were observed among children who were 11 years old (n = 176), with a visible peak in the 11- to 13-year-old group. A total of 625 bone fractures were detected. Fractures of the proximal phalanges (n = 213) and middle phalanges (n = 159) were most common, and fifth finger (n = 189) predominance was again observed. A gender-independent positive correlation was found between patients’ age and finger injuries (p < 0.01) as well as metacarpal injuries (p < 0.01). There was no correlation between patients’ age and fractures in these locations (p > 0.05). Metacarpal injuries (p < 0.01), finger injuries (p < 0.01), fractures (p = 0.01), and fractures with displacement (p = 0.03) were more common among males regardless of age. Conclusions: The results indicate that 11-year-old boys are at an increased risk of hand injuries and fractures. The distal and middle phalanges of the right hand, especially of the fifth digit, were the most susceptible to fracture localisation. Thus, injuries in these areas should be perceived as most likely to cause fractures and therefore demand careful examination.

Olympic competition climbing: the beginning of a new era—a narrative review

Climbing as a competition sport has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly the sub-discipline of bouldering. The sport will debut in the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. National and international competitions have three disciplines: lead (climbing with rope protection), bouldering (climbing at lower heights with mattress floor protection) and speed (maximum speed climbing on a standardised route in 1-on-1 mode). There is also a ‘combined mode’ of all three disciplines (combined) which forms the Olympic competition format; all competition formats are held on artificial walls. Existing literature describes a predominantly low injury frequency and severity in elite climbing. In comparison to climbing on real rock, artificial climbing walls have recently been associated with higher injury rates. Finger injuries such as tenosynovitis, pulley lesions and growth plate injuries are the most common injuries. As finger injuries are sport-specific, medical supervision of climbing athletes requires specific medical knowledge for diagnosis and treatment. There is so far little evidence on effective injury prevention measures in top athletes, and antidoping measures, in general, requiring further work in this field. An improved data situation regarding high-performance climbing athletes is crucial to ensure that the sport continues to be largely safe and injury-free and to prevent doping cases as extensively as possible.