Citation

Sommerfield LM, Harrison CB, Whatman CS, Maulder PS. Phys. Ther. Sport 2020; 44: 24-32.

Affiliation

Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand, AUT University, 17 Antares Place, Mairangi Bay, Auckland, 0632, New Zealand; Centre for Sport Science and Human Performance, Waikato Institute of Technology, Tristram Street, Whitiora, Hamilton, 3200, New Zealand. Electronic address: peter.maulder@wintec.ac.nz.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ptsp.2020.04.005

PMID

32388016

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To examine sports and physical education (PE) injury rates in youth females during a school year and to investigate if an association exists between injury and phase of the menstrual cycle.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort. SETTING: An online questionnaire was used to record training and competition exposure and self-reported injuries for 30-weeks. PARTICIPANTS: 103 PE students (12-15 years) from a girls' secondary school. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Injury rates and prevalence of acute, gradual onset/overuse and substantial injuries.

RESULTS: On average, girls trained 3.4 h/week and competed 1 h/week. During the study, 74 participants reported 595 injuries. The average weekly prevalence of all injuries was 20.7% (95% CI: 20.0-21.3), of which 8.6% (95% CI: 8.3-9.0) were acute injuries and 12.0% (95% CI: 11.4-12.6) were gradual onset/overuse injuries. The overall rate of sport and PE injuries was 10.4 injuries/1000 h of exposure. The most common acute injury involved the ankle (35%) while the most common gradual onset/overuse injury involved the knee (51%). There was no significant association between the stage of the menstrual cycle and the likelihood of injury (P = 0.18).

CONCLUSION: The high number of injuries in this population of girls suggests preventative measures, particularly targeting the lower extremity, are needed.

Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en