Search

To investigate: (1) the injury epidemiology in an Australian academy; (2) how athletes transition through the high‐performance sport (HPS) pathway; and (3) why athletes leave this HPS program. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at an Australian HPS academy over a 4‐year period. Medical attention injuries were prospectively recorded. Injury incidence rates (IIR) and burden were calculated per 365 athlete‐days, according to sport, sex, and pathway level. Athlete pathway levels were mapped to the Foundations, Talent, Elite, and Mastery (FTEM) framework. Reasons for athletes transitioning out were reported. Four hundred and eighty‐one injuries were reported across 124 athletes at an IIR of 2.09 injuries per 365 athlete‐days (95% CI = 1.91–2.29). Most athletes (103, 83.1%) were injured at least once over the 4‐year period. IIRs increased (IRR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.06–1.29, p = 0.001) as athletes progressed through the pathway. The most common reason for athlete attrition was deselection due to performance (n = 18), with 55.6% of these athletes sustaining an injury in the season prior to deselection. Injury burden was highest at E2 (119.5 days absence per 365 athlete‐days (95% CI = 62.18–229.67)) and lowest at T4 (30.47 days absence per 365 athlete‐days (95% CI = 21.98–42.24)). Injury occurrence is common across HPS, with IIRs increasing as athletes progressed to higher talent levels. Deselection due to poor performance was the main attrition factor, with more than half the deselected athletes impacted by injury prior to deselection. This study highlights an increased risk of deselection, following injury, and indicates the need for further development of prevention strategies targeting pathway athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to establish injury incidence rates (IIRs) and burden within an Australian male professional football club (n = 73) and to investigate longitudinal trends across five consecutive seasons (2016/17–2020/21). There was an overall IIR of 9.18 injuries per 1000 hours (h) (95% CI [7.89, 10.47]). The IIR was approximately seven times greater (rate ratio (RR): 6.85; 95% CI [5.13, 9.19]; p < 0.01) in matches (31.29 injuries per 1000 h; 95% CI [25.25, 37.33]) compared to training (4.49 injuries per 1000 h; 95% CI [3.51, 5.47]). The overall injury burden was 254.1 days lost per 1000 h (95% CI [220.9, 292.3]). Compared with the reference 2016/17 season, there were significant increases in minimal (RR: 6.94; 95% CI [1.27, 128.73]) and mild injuries (RR: 3.76; 95% CI [1.21, 16.39]) in season 2017/18 and decreases in moderate (RR: 0.40; 95% CI [0.19, 0.80]) and contact injuries (RR: 0.35; 95% CI [0.12, 0.90]) in season 2019/2020. Time-loss injury is common and represents a major burden in Australian male professional football, with injuries more frequently sustained during matches. Injury prevention practices should specifically be directed towards muscle/tendon and ligament injuries of the lower limb, particularly anterior cruciate ligament, ankle sprain and hamstring strain injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:To investigate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the sphygmomanometer for the assessment of the adductor squeeze test and isometric hip abduction strength and to investigate the concurrent validity of the sphygmomanometer for the assessment of hip muscular strength.Method:Thirty-two healthy adult male community Australian football players (age 23.9 ± 4.5 years) were assessed by two blinded raters that measured the strength of the adductor squeeze test and isometric hip abduction, using a commercially available sphygmomanometer. Concurrent validity was calculated using handheld dynamometry as the reference standard.Results:Moderate to high intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.61 to 0.92) and high inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.77 to 0.91) were found. High concurrent validity (Pearson’s r = 0.77 to 0.91) was established. Sixteen of the participants reached the maximal reading of the sphygmomanometer, demonstrating a ceiling effect.Conclusions:A sphygmomanometer is a cost-efficient device that appears to be both reliable and valid for the assessment of hip strength, offering clinicians an alternate and easily accessible option to obtain objective strength data. A ceiling effect may limit the application of the sphygmomanometer as a strength measurement device in stronger individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Muscle strength measurement is a key component of physiotherapists' assessment and is frequently used as an outcome measure. A sphygmomanometer is an instrument commonly used to measure blood pressure that can be potentially used as a tool to assess isometric muscle strength. Objective: To systematically review the evidence on the reliability and validity of a sphygmomanometer for measuring isometric strength of hip muscles. Method: A literature search was conducted across four databases. Studies were eligible if they presented data on reliability and/or validity, used a sphygmomanometer to measure isometric muscle strength of the hip region, and were peer reviewed. The individual studies were evaluated for quality using a standardized critical appraisal tool. Results: A total of 644 articles were screened for eligibility, with five articles chosen for inclusion. The use of a sphygmomanometer to objectively assess isometric muscle strength of the hip muscles appears to be reliable with intraclass correlation coefficient values ranging from 0.66 to 0.94 in elderly and young populations. No studies were identified that have assessed the validity of a sphygmomanometer. Conclusion: The sphygmomanometer appears to be reliable for assessment of isometric muscle strength around the hip joint, but further research is warranted to establish its validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]