Injury prevention strategies specific to pre-elite athletes competing in Olympic and professional sports — A systematic review

ObjectiveTo synthesise the current evidence regarding the risk factors, the injury prevention strategies and the profile of injured skiers and snowboarders in terrain parks (TPs) and half-pipes (HPs).DesignSystematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines.Data sourcesLiterature searches from six electronic databases and manual searches were performed.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesInclusion criteria were: (1) publication based on original data; (2) injuries sustained in TPs or HPs; (3) recreational skiing or snowboarding injuries; (4) observational or experimental study design with a comparison group.ResultsNo study explored the risk factors in HPs or the prevention strategies in TPs or HPs. From the literature retrieved, there is strong evidence that skiing or snowboarding in a TP is a risk factor for head, neck, back and severe injuries. Two papers assessed the risk factors for injuries in TPs, mainly demonstrating that features promoting aerial manoeuvres or a large drop to the ground were associated with higher feature-specific injury rates. The profile of injured skiers and snowboarders in TPs described in the literature suggested some evidence of associations between factors including activity, sex, skill level, helmet use, age and TP injuries.Summary/conclusionsThis systematic review demonstrates the need for studies identifying the risk factors for injuries to skiers and snowboarders and on interventions to reduce the risk of injury in TPs and HPs. Studies addressing the issue of TP design should be considered.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42016045206.

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Injury Prevention Strategies in Football: A Systematic Review

Sport Mont ◽

10.26773/smj.201001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Injury Prevention ◽

Prevention Strategies

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Lumbosacral injuries in elite Paralympic athletes with limb deficiency: a retrospective analysis of patient records

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine ◽

10.1136/bmjsem-2020-001001 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. e001001

Author(s):

Nicola R Heneghan ◽

Esther Collacott ◽

Paul Martin ◽

Simon Spencer ◽

Alison Rushton

Keyword(s):

Injury Prevention ◽

Retrospective Analysis ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Prevention Strategies ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Injury Data ◽

Congenital Limb ◽

Clinical Records ◽

Limb Deficiency ◽

Congenital Limb Deficiency

BackgroundCompared to injury data in able-bodied athletes, relatively little literature exists for Paralympic athletes. Injury data underpins the design and evaluation of injury prevention strategies in elite sport. The aim of this study was to investigate frequency, characteristics and management of lumbosacral injuries in elite athletes with limb deficiency.MethodsA retrospective analysis of injuries in elite athletes with limb deficiency (2008 to 2017) was conducted using available data extracted from The English Institute of Sport (EIS) clinical records. Eligibility criteria: funded athletes, eligible for EIS physiotherapy support with full or partial limb deficiency. Data were analysed descriptively using frequencies.ResultsA total of 107 injuries from 32 athletes were included. Participants comprised 18 men (59%), from 9 sports, with mean age for index injuries of 27 years (range 18 to 38 years) and 15 with congenital limb deficiency (47%). Average number of index injuries for congenital and traumatic limb deficient groups were 13 and 19, respectively. Where injury onset was recorded (n=79), half of injuries occurred during training (40%, n=43). Arthrogenic structures accounted for 32.7% of injuries, myogenic 26.2%, with neurogenic, discogenic and osteogenic each <5%. The number of treatments delivered in each injury episode ranged from 1 to 43, with symptom resolution taking 2 to 439 days.ConclusionElite athletes with limb deficiency experience lumbosacral injuries predominantly involving muscles and joints. While consistency and accuracy of data recording limits definitive conclusions, findings highlight the importance of precision in recording injury data as part of surveillance to enable implementation of effective injury prevention strategies.

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Evaluating the Implementation of Injury Prevention Strategies in Rugby Union and League: A Systematic Review using the RE-AIM Framework

International Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1055/a-1212-0649 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Craig Barden ◽

Sheree Bekker ◽

James Craig Brown ◽

Keith A Stokes ◽

Carly D. McKay

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Injury Prevention ◽

Injury Risk ◽

English Language ◽

Journal Article ◽

Rugby Union ◽

Research Field ◽

Original Research ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Prevention Strategies

AbstractRugby (union and league) has come under intense scrutiny due to its injury risk. Various interventions have been introduced to protect players from injury, with many deemed efficacious and advocated for use across various worldwide contexts. However, their implementation is less clear. The objective of this systematic review was to determine whether injury prevention interventions in rugby have evaluated their ‘reach’, ‘effectiveness’, ‘adoption’, ‘implementation’ and ‘maintenance’ as per the RE-AIM Multi-Dimension Item Checklist. Six electronic databases were searched in November 2019. Inclusion criteria included: English language, peer-reviewed journal article, original research, field-based rugby code, prospective intervention. Of the 4253 studies identified, 74 met the full inclusion criteria. Protective equipment, predominately mouthguards, was the intervention of interest in 44 studies. Other interventions included multimodal national injury prevention programmes, law changes and neuromuscular training programmes. ‘Effectiveness’ was the highest scoring RE-AIM dimension (55%), followed by ‘reach’ (26%). All other RE-AIM dimensions scored below 20%. Research currently focuses on determining intervention ‘effectiveness’. For injury prevention strategies to have their desired impact, there must be a shift to address all determinants associated with implementation. Consideration should be given to how this can be achieved by adopting specific reporting checklists, research frameworks and study designs.

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Does prevention pay off? Economic aspects of sports injury prevention: a systematic review

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2021-104241 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bjsports-2021-104241

Author(s):

Christoph Lutter ◽

Christophe Jacquet ◽

Evert Verhagen ◽

Romain Seil ◽

Thomas Tischer

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Injury Prevention ◽

Evaluation Studies ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Cost Savings ◽

Sports Injury ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Prevention Strategies ◽

Level Of Evidence

ObjectiveTo identify, summarise and critically assess economic evaluation studies on sports injury prevention strategies.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesPubMed, SportDiscuss.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesThe current literature was searched following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Economic analyses published since 2010 were checked for inclusion. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Oxford Level of Evidence for economic and decision analysis; underlying randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were rated according to the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale, and risk of bias was assessed using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool.ResultsTen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The quality assessment revealed limited data quality. For trial-based analysis, underlying RCTs were of good quality and had a low risk of bias. Prevention concepts for general injury reduction showed effectiveness and cost savings. Regarding specific injury types, the analysis of the studies showed that the best data are available for ankle, hamstring and anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Measures using specific training interventions were the predominant form of prevention concepts; studies investigating these concepts showed cost-effectiveness with total cost savings between €24.82 and €462 per athlete.ConclusionInjury prevention strategies that were studied are cost-effective. However, estimates and outcomes vary throughout the included studies, and precluded pooling of existing data. Knowledge about the cost-effectiveness of evaluated prevention measures will help improve the acceptance and application of prevention initiatives.

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