Content validity of the Rodeo-SCAT.

The purpose of this study was to establish the content validity of the Rodeo SCAT for the sport of rodeo and bull riding. The study design was comprised of expert consensus and content validation. A modified Ebel procedure was employed to content validate the rodeo SCAT. Content validation using this method includes experts agreeing on the importance of each item that comprises the rodeo SCAT. This 3-stage process involved: 1) face validation by a local committee: 2) initial expert consensus measurement via distance; and 3) a face-to-face discussion for items that did not originally achieve 80% consensus of the group. Experts were chosen from the Canadian Professional Rodeo Sport Medicine Team (Canada) and the Justin Sports Medicine Team (USA). 27 out of a total possible 68 items achieved 80% consensus in the second stage. In the third stage, 4 of the 68 items were removed with consensus from the expert group. All remaining items achieved 80% consensus for inclusion. In summary, the rodeo SCAT is content valid and thus, appropriate for use in the sport of rodeo context or environment.

The distribution of injuries in men's Canada West university football. A 5-year analysis.

We conducted a prospective cohort study from 1993 to 1997 to determine the frequency and severity of injury in men's Canada West university football. The Canadian Intercollegiate Sport Injury Registry was used to document baseline preseason data, daily athlete participation, and subsequent injury from five varsity football teams. An injury was defined as "any injury resulting in one or more complete or partial sessions of time loss" or "any concussion or transient neck neurologic injury." The annual proportion of injured athletes ranged from 53.5% to 60.4%, with a 5-year total of 1,811 injuries. Regression analysis indicated that the rate of nonconcussion, nonneck neurologic injuries increased. Concussion (N = 110), hamstring strain (N = 88), and brachial plexus (N = 84) injuries were the most common, specific injury diagnoses. Knee injuries resulted in the highest rate of severe (greater than or equal to 7 sessions of time loss) injury and resulted in the most time loss (3,350.5 sessions). Ligament sprains and muscle strains and spasms accounted for approximately half of all injury diagnoses. A total of 1,173 injuries (65%) were related to contact between players or between players and other obstacles. Future studies should be conducted to identify risk factors for the ultimate purpose of implementing injury prevention strategies.

Epidemiological analysis of injury in one year of Canadian professional rodeo.

OBJECTIVES: To document injury rates and treatment use during one competitive season of Canadian professional rodeo. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Canadian professional rodeo competition. SUBJECTS: Competitors, included professional cowboys from Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. METHODS: Data were gathered prospectively at 15 of 68 professional rodeos in Canada, constituting 22% of all Canadian professional rodeos. Data were collected by four certified athletic therapists using a standardized form. MAIN RESULTS: Overall, 94 athletes were injured during 3,882 individual competitor exposures (CEs). The composite injury rate was 2.3 per 100 CEs. This rate is lower than that reported in contact sports. Within the context of rodeo injuries, bareback riders and bull riders had similar high injury rates (4.6 and 3.6 per 100 CEs, respectively). Saddle bronc riders and steer wrestlers had moderate injury rates (1.4 and 0.9 per 100 CEs, respectively), whereas calf ropers had low injury rates (0.5 per 100 CEs). The knee and ankle were the most frequently treated sites of the body, followed by the shoulder, elbow, and lower back. Acute injury care and prophylactic taping were the most frequent services provided. CONCLUSIONS: In order to study injury patterns in more detail and to assess risk factors for injury, a larger scale epidemiological study should be undertaken. Through such risk-based analysis, preventative strategies could be identified.

Coloured microsphere assessment of blood flow to knee ligaments in adult rabbits: effects of injury.

Coloured microspheres were used to determine standardized blood flow in an established model of medial collateral ligament injury in the adult rabbit knee. Resting blood flow in the ligament was ascertained to be on the order of 0.68 +/- 0.08 ml/min/100 g (mean +/- SEM) in normal rabbit knees, although errors in flow estimates of this magnitude may be quite high. In healing medial collateral ligament, however, flow had increased markedly 3 weeks after injury (21.45 +/- 5.48 ml/min/100 g). Flows in sham-operated control medial collateral ligaments were not significantly increased compared with those in control normal ligaments. Six weeks after injury, blood flow in the ligament remained elevated (16.90 +/- 3.20 ml/min/100 g) and was similarly elevated in other neighbouring joint tissues (i.e., ipsilateral synovial fat pad). The increase in flow to ipsilateral noninjured articular tissues did not persist beyond 6 weeks, but flow in the healing medial collateral ligament scar tended to remain elevated after 17 weeks (4.20 +/- 1.79 ml/min/100 g), although this did not achieve statistical significance. We conclude from these data that it is possible to measure the increase in blood flow in injured and healing articular tissues using the coloured microspheres technique and that ligament injury is a potent stimulus for increasing blood flow. Coloured microsphere measurements of blood flow to joint connective tissues may offer a valuable approach to future investigations of joint injury and arthritis.

Guidelines for return to activity after injury.

Complete and effective rehabilitation is dependent on many factors and may be identified and measured by eight objectives. Use of these objectives should help to prevent many of the common errors in rehabilitation. Of these eight objectives, the authors concentrate on development of specific sports-related biomechanical skill patterns, an objective that is frequently neglected. Analysis of the specific demands of each sport for each athlete is required to tailor rehabilitation protocols as well as to provide a standard to determine when the athlete can return. Progressive sports-specific activity will help to return the athlete safely to activity.

The anterior cruciate ligament: a review of recent concepts.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) consists of a small anteromedial band and a larger posterolateral band. Recent findings have shown the ACL to play a major role in the function of the knee joint. The ACL prevents anterior luxation of the tibia, limits tibial rotation, and resists valgus and varus stress to the knee. The most common mechanism of ACL injury involves hyperextension of the knee with a rotational component. Diagnosis of an ACL lesion consists of an accurate history, clinical tests and often, arthroscopic investigation. Treatment of an ACL injury may consist solely of a rehabilitation program, may involve surgical intervention, or a combination of the two. Many surgical procedures both intra-articular and extra-articular, have been used in the past. The most successful approach at this time appears to be a combination of intra-articular and extra-articular procedures. A contemporary trend in rehabilitation following surgery is the use of graduated stages of treatment beginning immediately postsurgery and continuing through to full return to activity. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1986;8(3):110-122.