Sports Injury and Illness Epidemiology: Thailand Team Surveillance During the 30th Southeast Asian Games

Background: Injury and illness surveillance in sports is the first step of the injury prevention model that generates effective injury prevention measures. Objectives: To identify the incidence, severity, and causes of injuries and illness in the Thailand national team during the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Methods: All medical encounters were documented using the International Olympic Committee (IOC) injury and illness surveillance system for multi-sport events. We recorded the daily occurrence of injuries and illnesses reported by Thailand’s medical teams over the 12 days of the competition period. Results: Among 980 Thai athletes (568 male and 412 female), that participated in the 30th SEA Games, a total of 105 injuries and illnesses were reported. There were 84 injuries and 21 illnesses which equated to an incidence of 86 injuries and 21 illnesses per 1000 athletes. The most commonly injured body part was the lower leg (14% of all injuries), followed by the shoulder and clavicle. Ligament sprain or rupture and contusion (25% of all injuries) were reported as the most common type of injury. Of all injuries, 56 were classified as needing medical attention (only), 26 caused performance restriction, and two caused complete-time loss. The most common athlete illness was respiratory illness (48% of all illnesses) followed by gastrointestinal illness (19% of all illnesses). One-third (7 out of 21) of athlete illnesses restricted the athlete's performance, and the remaining 14 only required medical attention. Conclusions: Overall, 8% of athletes incurred at least one injury during the competition, and 2% suffered from an illness. Lower leg injury and respiratory illness were the most common, which is similar to other multi-sport events. Based on the research data, injury prevention, especially of ligamentous sprain and lower limb injuries, should be the focus in multi-sport events.

Injury Prevalence of the Lower Limbs in Handball Players: A Systematic Review

Lower limb injuries are frequent in handball and a serious hindrance to athletic performance. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the available research on the prevalence of lower limb injuries in handball players according to sex and competitive level. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis, 19 studies were selected after a systematic search and selection process of three digital databases: Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Furthermore, a study quality analysis using an ‘Extension for Sports Injury and Illness Surveillance of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE-SIIS)’ was carried out. The sample consisted of 7110 male and female handball players registering 4483 injuries in their lower limbs. The results showed a high incidence of knee injuries (30.23%) and ankle injuries (24.80%), especially in the ligaments, such as the talofibular and the anterior cruciate ligaments. Considering sex and competitive level, knee injuries accounted for 47.02% of injuries among women, while among men, ankle injuries were most prevalent (34.22%) in international competitions. Additionally, the most common cause of injuries was trauma (85.61%). The findings highlighted that the prevalence of lower limb injuries varies greatly according to the characteristics of the sample and injury. Therefore, the study underlines the importance that sports practitioners (physical trainers, readapters, and physiotherapists) adapt training protocols to reduce injury incidence in the most affected body areas or tissues.

Prevalence of Pain and Disability of the Spine and Joints in Selected Types of Sport: Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Study

(1) Background: Joint and back pain are enormous and important clinical and public health problems that significantly affect people of all ages. Although the epidemiology of pain in the general population is well documented, less information is available in athletes. While in the general population joint and back pain have predominantly functional origin, in athletes, pain is a consequence of not only functional, but very often structural changes in the spine, joints, and related tissues. Depending on the sports specialization, character of the training activity, exercises, training load, and many other factors, athletes are exposed to various injuries accompanied by pain. (2) Aim: This study is aimed at evaluating the prevalence of spinal and limb injuries, and back pain and joint pain among athletes of various specializations. A questionnaire survey on back pain, quality of life, and physical activity will be used to collect data from Slovak athletes. The outcomes of the survey will be compared to a physically active group. This article presents a study protocol that aims to evaluate the relationship between back pain and injury prevalence in athletes of various specializations.

Inter and Intra Rater Reliability of Different Measurement Techniques of Weight Bearing Ankle Dorsiflexion Range of Motion

Background: Measurement of range of motion is a crucial parameter in the physiotherapeutic evaluation and follow up. Ankle dorsiflexion is important for functional activities like running, jogging, waking, stair climbing. Restricted ankle dorsiflexion is seen in various lower limb injuries. Therefore, assessment of dorsiflexion is important to assess function. Goniometer, tape measure, mobile goniometer, inclinometer is used to measure ankle dorsiflexion range of motion in weight bearing and non-weight bearing positions. Weight bearing dorsiflexion has reported higher intra and inter-rater reliability as compared to non-weight bearing ankle dorsiflexion. All these measures may be taken by the same and by different therapists in the management of one patient. Therefore, it is necessary to determine if the measurements used are reliable both within and between the therapists. Material and Methods: 50 healthy subjects were recruited and their role was explained in the study. Written consent was taken from all the subjects. Weight bearing lunge was done in which the subject was asked to stand with the heel in contact with the ground and the great toe 10 cm away from the wall and the knee touching the wall. Inclinometer, standard goniometer, mobile goniometer and tape measure were administered to check for ankle dorsifexion range of motion. Results: ICC for inter rater reliability was almost perfect for tape measure and goniometer (0.968 and 0.837 respectively) and it was substantial for inclinometer and mobile goniometer (0.746 and 0.796 respectively). ICC for intra rater reliability was almost perfect for tape measure, inclinometer and goniometer (0.965,0.894 and 0.837 respectively) and it was substantial for mobile goniometer (0.802). Conclusion: The inter-rater reliability of tape measure, goniometer is almost perfect and for mobile goniometer, inclinometer is substantial. The intra rater reliability of tape measure, inclinometer, goniometer is almost perfect and mobile goniometer is substantial. KEY WORDS: Dorsiflexion, Mobile goniometer, Tape measure, Goniometer, Inclinometer, Reliability.

Do Entrapment, Injuries, Outcomes and Potential for Self-extrication Vary with Age? A Pre-specified Analysis of the UK Trauma Registry (TARN)

Background:Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), particularly those associated with entrapment, are a common cause of major trauma. Current extrication methods are focused on spinal movement minimisation and mitigation, but for many patients’ self-extrication may be an appropriate alternative. Older drivers and passengers are increasingly injured in MVCs and may be at an increased risk of entrapment and its deleterious effects. The aim of this study is to describe the injuries, trapped status, outcomes, and potential for self-extrication for patients following an MVC across a range of age groups. Methods:This is a retrospective study using the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) database. Patients were included if they were admitted to an English hospital following an MVC from 2012 to 2019. Patients were excluded when their outcomes were not known or if they were secondary transfers. Simple descriptive analysis was used across the age groups: 16-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80+ years. Logistic regression was performed to develop a model with known confounders, considering the odds of death by age group, and examining any interaction between age and trapped status with mortality. Results:70,027 patients met the inclusion criteria. Older patients were more likely to be trapped and to die following an MVC (p<0.0001). Head, abdominal and limb injuries were more common in the young with thoracic and spinal injuries being more common in older patients (all p<0.0001). No statistical difference was found between the age groups in relation to ability to self-extricate. After adjustment for confounders, the 80+ age group were more likely to die if they were trapped; adjusted OR trapped 30.2 (19.8 - 46), not trapped 24.2 (20.1 - 29.2). Conclusions:Patients over the age of 80 are more likely to die when trapped following an MVC. Self-extrication should be considered the primary route of egress for patients of all ages unless it is clearly impracticable or unachievable. For those patients who cannot self-extricate, a minimally invasive extrication approach should be employed to minimise entrapment time.

Ability to Report Emergency at Farmers in the Agriculture Area

Background: Low knowledge and motivation about using personal protective equipment on farmers can cause workplace accidents. Upper limb injuries comprise 67% of all injuries, and the most active parts are fingers (43%). Due to the high number of injuries among farmers, the community needs emergency services where this emergency condition requires immediate health services to reduce mortality and prevent disability. Purpose: This study aims to analyze the factors that affect farmers ability to report daily emergencies in the agricultural area of ​​Lumajang. Methods: The design of this study was cross-sectional. The research respondents were 62 farmers who were taken by purposive sampling. Data collection used a questionnaire consisting of knowledge of injury recognition, management, and emergency events reporting. Data analysis was bivariate analysis with the Chi-Square test. Results: Knowledge of farmers recognizing injuries with good categories as much as 92% (p = 0.042), knowledge of farmers doing injury management as much as 80.6% in good category (p = 0.000), and knowledge of reporting of daily emergency events in agricultural areas as much as 61, 3% is moderate (p = 0.000). Recognizing the causes of injury of farming areas will increase farmers' knowledge in managing injuries to seek assistance in handling victims quickly and accurately with useful reporting techniques. Conclusion: The ability to report emergency events in the agricultural area is still in an adequate category. We must continuously improve the socialization of standard operational procedures (SOP) regarding effective communication in reporting injury incidents at PSC 119 Lumajang District. Services provided are fast, precise, responsive, and alert to prevent disability and save someone's life from death.

Association Between Cognitive Function and Mechanical Pattern of Landing

Introduction: In examining the factors affecting sports injuries, the emphasis is always on physical variables, while cognitive and psychological characteristics can also be effective. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between sustained attention as a neurocognitive function and landing error as a mechanical factor associated with lower limb injuries. Materials and Methods: 44 female basketball players aged 18-25 years at the national league level participated in this study. The participants were assessed using the continuous performance test, and their landing-jumping was evaluated by the landing error scoring system in two conditions of high and low cognitive load. Results: The results showed that people’s landing errors increased significantly as a result of increased cognitive needs (P=0.0001). Also, the findings revealed a positive correlation between omission and commission errors with landing error scores in both low and high cognitive load conditions (P<0.05). Conclusion: Sustained attention could predict the landing error score that is considered a key risk factor of lower limb injuries. It is recommended that multiple cognitive and physical assessments be used to identify athletes at risk of injury. Hence, cognitive enhancement protocols may be effective along with physical preparation programs.

The Effect of Corrective Feedback Exercise on Knee Kinematics and EMG of Lower Limbs of Female Wushu Players

Introduction: Recent studies have examined the risk factors associated with lower limb injuries. This study aimed to explore the effect of 12 sessions of feedback corrective exercises on the kinematic indicators of the knee and the Electromyography Activity (EMG) of the muscles of the lower limbs of female wushu players. The present study has a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test/post-test design and a control group. Materials and Methods: In this study, 16 female wushu players were selected by the available sampling method and placed in two groups of exercise and control. The exercise group performed feedback correction exercises for 12 sessions. Before and after the knee varus exercises, we measured, pelvic drop, and EMG of the lower limb muscles of both groups in the SLS movement. The independent two-sample t-test was used to examine intergroup differences and the two-group correlated t-test was used to compare intra group sizes. To analyze the statistical data, SPSS V. 23 was used (P≤0.05) Results: The results showed a significant difference in knee varus between the experiment group and the control group in the pre-test and there was a significant difference between the pelvic drop in the pre-test and post-test of the experiment group compared with the control. The angle of the knee varus in the exercise group showed a significant difference with the control group. The EMG results of the muscles in the pre-test and post-test were significantly different. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, the feedback correction exercise may improve motion control in wushu players. It also improved neuromuscular weakness in the subjects. According to the results and based on less muscle activity during movements, this exercise will reduce fatigue and the risk of injury.

Retrospective study of Parajump injuries in Indian Armed Forces

Introduction: A number of studies on military and civil parachuting injuries have been published in the past. Most of the studies place the incidence of parachuting injuries to vary between 0.22% and 0.89%. The profile of injuries sustained during jumps by Indian paratroopers from Paratrooper Training School (PTS), Agra, between 2013 and 2019 was analyzed. Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of Indian military parachuting injuries was done to assess injury patterns from the records of static line and combat free fall jumps, available at the PTS. The data pertaining to 270 injuries sustained from 256 jumps were analyzed in terms of number of jumps by each paratrooper, type of course/ mission, age, time of the of jump (day/ night), type of parachute used, wind speed at the time of drop, terrain on which the paratrooper landed, the location / part of body injured, the diagnosis, and finally the possible modality of injury using descriptive statistics. Results: The incidence of injuries ascertained from the records varied from 0.054% to 0.10% with a mean incidence of 0.083% from 306,986 jumps recorded over 7 years. Most injuries were related to refresher jumps and static line jumps. There were three fatalities recorded in this period, all due to failure of main and standby parachutes. Most of the injuries were sustained at the time of landing (218, 86.17%). Lower limb injuries accounted for maximum injuries (109, 40.37%), followed by truncal injuries 95 (35.19%) and upper limb injuries 33 (12.22%). Conclusion: The study brings out an interesting aspect of significantly less military parachuting injuries seen in the present study vis-à-vis reported in literature. A high degree of physical fitness and rigorous training are probably responsible for this low incidence. Increasing the duration of refresher training and physical conditioning may further reduce the occurrence of injuries. A cost-efficacy analysis of the same may be done before effecting changes in the training programme.