Injury and Illness in Elite Athletics: A Prospective Cohort Study Over Three Seasons.
Shane Kelly, Noel Pollock, George Polglass and 1 others
PMID 35391874WHAT IT FOUND
Overuse injuries caused half of all time loss in elite track and field athletes, with hamstring strains being the most frequent diagnosis.
Illness accounted for 12% of time loss, and respiratory issues were the most common medical presentation.
Key findings
01Overuse injuries resulted in 3656 days of time loss, representing 50% of all time loss across three seasons.
02Hamstring strain/tear was the most frequent diagnosis, with 62 cases and 1165 total days of time loss.
03Illnesses accounted for 864 days of time loss, which was 12% of the total, with respiratory illness being the most common type.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample sizes in specific event groups prevented subgroup analysis. Remote monitoring of off-site athletes may have reduced data accuracy if they saw other practitioners. Exposure was measured in athlete-days, which does not account for variations in training volume or intensity. Definitions required medical attention, potentially missing complaints that did not lead to a clinic visit. The term 'Achilles tendinopathy' may have inflated incidence by capturing other Achilles region pain.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the high time loss from hamstring injuries implies a specific prevention program works, as this was a descriptive surveillance study and not an intervention trial.