Traumatic and overuse injuries among international elite junior rowers

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Tomislav Smoljanović
• Author: Ivan Bojanić
• Author: Jo A. Hannafin
• Author: Darko Hren
• Author: Domagoj Delimar
• Author: Marko Pećina
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Clinical Medical Sciences

Abstract (english)

BACKGROUND: Junior rowers have competed internationally for over 4 decades, and there are no epidemiological data available on traumatic and overuse injury in this population. ----- OBJECTIVE: To define the types of musculoskeletal problems present in international elite-level junior rowers and to determine whether gender, physical stature, rowing discipline, and training programs affect the incidence of reported injuries. ----- STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. ----- METHODS: Injury data were obtained from a total of 398 rowers (42% female, 58% male) who completed a 4-page questionnaire on injury incidence while participating at the Junior World Rowing Championships in Beijing, People's Republic of China, in August 2007. ----- RESULTS: Overall, 290 (73.8%) reported injuries involved overuse, and 103 (26.2%) were related to a single traumatic event. Female rowers were injured more frequently than male rowers (110.2 vs 90.5 injuries per 100 rowers). In both genders, the most common injury site was the low back followed by the knee and the forearm/wrist. The severity of reported injuries was incidental in 65.1%, minor in 21.4%, moderate in 10.4%, and major in 3.1% of cases. The rowers with traumatic injuries had less rowing experience than the uninjured rowers (median [C] +/- interquartile range [Q] = 3 +/- 3 years vs 4 +/- 3 years; P = .043, Mann-Whitney test). Sweep rowers who changed rowing side during the current season had significantly more acute-onset low back injuries (P = .012, chi(2) test) than those who did not change rowing side during the same period. The incidence of traumatic injuries was significantly lower in rowers who regularly performed more than 10 minutes of posttraining stretching (P = .030, chi2) test). Athletes who ran more than once a week had more overuse knee injuries than those who ran once or less per week (P = .033, chi2 test). ----- CONCLUSION: Elite junior rowers attending the World Rowing Championships reported predominantly overuse injuries of low severity during the current rowing season. Low back injuries were the most frequent complaint of elite-level junior rowers.

• Keywords (english): Adolescent; Adult; Athletic Performance; Cumulative Trauma Disorders/classification; Cumulative Trauma Disorders/epidemiology; Cumulative Trauma Disorders/etiology; Female; Humans; Internationality; Interviews as Topic; Male; Questionnaires; Retrospective Studies; Ships; Sports; Taiwan/epidemiology; Trauma Severity Indices; Young Adult
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Accepted version
• Journal title: American Journal of Sports Medicine
• Numbering: vol. 37, no. 6, pp. 1193-1199
• p-ISSN: 0363-5465
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546508331205
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:719124
• Publication: 2009-06
• Document URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546508331205
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-03-28 11:50:56