Injuries and illnesses in Swedish Paralympic athletes—A 52‐week prospective study of incidence and risk factors

Fagher, Kristina; Dahlström, Örjan; Jacobsson, Jenny; Timpka, Toomas; Lexell, Jan

doi:10.1111/sms.13687

Cited by 33 publications

(67 citation statements)

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“…Subsequently, data from 107 Swedish elite Para athletes were weekly collected during 52 weeks. The overall prevalence (13) and incidence (14) of injuries and illness have previously been described and further details can be found therein.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incidence of sports-related concussion in elite para athletes – a 52-week prospective study

2021

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Objective: To assess the 52-week incidence proportion and incidence rate of sports-related concussion (SRC) among elite Para athletes, and to analyze the injury mechanisms. Method: In total, 70 male and 37 female Swedish elite Para athletes (median age 29 years) with vision, physical and intellectual impairment, weekly self-reported sports-related injuries including concussion in an eHealth application adapted to Para athletes. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the incidence rate and incidence proportion. Chi-square statistics were used to analyze differences in the proportion of SRC. Results: A total of 13 SRC were reported: three athletes each sustained two SRC. The incidence proportion was 9.3% (95% CI 4.8-16.7), and the incidence rate 0.5 SRC/1000 hours (95% CI 0.3-0.9) of sports exposure. Athletes with vision impairment and female athletes reported a significantly higher proportion of SRC. A majority of the injuries (n = 9; 69%) occurred during sport-specific training. The injury mechanisms were collision with object (n = 7; 54%), collision with person (n = 4; 31%), and poor playing field conditions (n = 2; 16%). Conclusion:The incidence of concussion among elite Paralympic athletes is comparable to sports for able-bodied athletes. Athletes with vision impairment and female athletes reported a significantly higher incidence of SRC, and collisions were the most common injury mechanism. These results can form the basis for future preventive research studies.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incidence of sports-related concussion in elite para athletes – a 52-week prospective study

2021

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“…Among athletes with neurological impairment, joint contractures may be present as well as other nervous system-related injuries. [12,35,36] Therefore, we recommend researchers to identify and record the impairment-specific tissue injuries and pathology that may be present in the Para athlete population. See examples in Table 5.…”

Section: Classifying the Mechanism Of Injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[3] Thus, injury and illness incidence rates may underestimate the true burden given the high prevalence of pre-existing repetitive gradual onset injuries and medical conditions. Also, when collecting data in multi-sport events, and when exposure data are incomparable between sports, [25,36,41] we recommend expressing incidence as the number of new cases/number of athletes or athlete days. Sport-specific incidence rates may be more optimally expressed by number of health problems/1000 matches (e.g., badminton, boccia, football, goalball, judo, sitting volleyball, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair tennis)…”

Section: Expressing Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Time loss-based severity measures also under-represent gradual onset injuries and illnesses, which are particularly prevalent in the Para sport population. [12,14,36] In this context, we recommend the use of mean severity scores (measured as arbitrary units) by the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center -Health (OSTRC-H) questionnaire, instead of measuring only time loss from sports participation. [42] This questionnaire has been used in Para sport health monitoring, with the exception of vision impaired athletes.…”

Section: Burden Of Health Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also possible to use diagnostic codes from the ICD-10 and ICD-11 in instances where diagnoses cannot be found. [12,36] …”

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confidence: 99%

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Para sport translation of the IOC consensus on recording and reporting of data for injury and illness in sport

et al. 2021

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In 2020, the IOC proposed a universal methodology for the recording and reporting of data for injury and illness in sport. Para sport is played by individuals with impairment, and they have a unique set of considerations not captured by these recommendations. Therefore, the aim of this addendum to IOC consensus statement was to guide the Para sport researcher through the complexities and nuances that should be taken into consideration when collecting, registering, reporting and interpreting data regarding Para athlete health. To develop this translation, experts in the field of Para sports medicine and epidemiology conducted a formal consensus development process, which began in March 2020 with the formation of a consensus group that worked over eight phases, incorporating three virtual consensus meetings to finalise the translation. This translation is consistent with the IOC consensus statement, yet provides more detailed Para athlete specific definitions and recommendations on study population, specifically, diagnostic and eligible impairment categorisation and recording of adaptive equipment, and defining and classifying health problems in the context of Para sport. Additionally, recommendations and Para athlete specific examples are described with regards to injury mechanism, mode of onset, injury and illness classification, duration, capturing and reporting exposure and risk. Finally, methods and considerations are provided to cater to the varied needs of athletes with impairment with respect to data collection tools. This harmonisation will allow the science to develop and facilitate a more accurate understanding of injury and illness patterns for tailoring evidence-informed prevention programmes and enabling better planning of medical services for Para sport events.

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Mental health, sleep, and pain in elite Para athletes and the association with injury and illness—A prospective study

Fagher

Dahlström

Lexell

2023

PM&R

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Introduction:The interest in the health of Para athletes continues to increase. Still, there are few studies that have evaluated health parameters beyond injury and illness in this athlete population. Objective: To assess (1) the weekly proportion of elite Para athletes reporting anxiety/depression, low sleep levels (≤7 hours), and pain over 52 weeks;(2) and to explore whether these health parameters are associated with the risk for a sports injury or illness. Design: A 52-week prospective study, part of the Sports-related Injury and Illness in Paralympic Sport Study (SRIIPSS). Setting: A total of 107 Swedish elite Para athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual impairment participated. Main outcome measures: Data on self-reported anxiety/depression, sleep levels, pain, and injuries/illnesses were collected weekly. Comparisons of these parameters preceding an injury/illness were made using Friedman's analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The proportion of athletes reporting weekly anxiety/depression was 34.1%; 60.9% of athletes reported sleeping ≤7 hours and 49.9% reported pain. In exploratory analyses, there were no significant differences between weeks before an injury for any of the variables. There were significant differences in levels of sleep over the weeks, where sleep levels were significantly higher (>10 hours) 4 weeks prior to an illness (p = .016). Conclusion: This cohort of elite Para athletes reported relatively high levels of anxiety/depression, low sleep levels, and pain, which is a concern. High sleep levels and the risk for illness might be an indication of overtraining, which commonly leads to persistent fatigue and an increased susceptibility to infections. Monitoring of the health of elite Para athletes is recommended to be able to improve performance and health in this population.

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Injuries and illnesses in Swedish Paralympic athletes—A 52‐week prospective study of incidence and risk factors

Cited by 33 publications

References 37 publications

Incidence of sports-related concussion in elite para athletes – a 52-week prospective study

Incidence of sports-related concussion in elite para athletes – a 52-week prospective study

Para sport translation of the IOC consensus on recording and reporting of data for injury and illness in sport

Mental health, sleep, and pain in elite Para athletes and the association with injury and illness—A prospective study

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