Injury data collection and utilisation practices in university sports teams: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine injury surveillance practices in a variety of university sports teams and barriers and facilitators for injury data collection and utilisation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University sports teams in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Medical, coaching, and other staff (non-medical/-coaching staff) of the university sports teams in Japan. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The survey included 31 questions that examined the barriers and facilitators for injury data collection, and the type of data on injury and exposure collected. RESULTS: Injury data were collected during matches for 69 teams (48.3%) and training for 61 teams (42.7%). Injuries were primarily captured by athletic trainers in teams with medical staff, coaching staff and athletes in teams without medical staff. Common barriers in collecting and utilising injury data included limited funding for trained personnel and lack of time for medical staff to record data. Facilitating factors included clarification of the methods employed in recording and utilising injury data for teams with medical staff and the deployment of trained personnel to record injuries for teams without medical staff. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of the Japanese university teams collected injury data. Considering barriers and facilitators is crucial to facilitate the collection and utilisation of injury data.

Health status of university football athletes through multidimensional screening.

OBJECTIVE: Adequate conditioning results from various physical, environmental, and psychological factors in sports activities. In this study, we aimed to clarify the concurrence and relevance of injuries, psychological problems, and sleep disturbance in university football (soccer) players. Biomechanical characteristics and risk factors for those injuries were also investigated. METHODS: Overall, 1,084 university football players participated in this cross-sectional study using a web-based health history questionnaire. Assessments were made via the presence of injuries for physical problems, the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ) for psychological problems, and the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) for sleep difficulties. RESULTS: There were 200 (19%) athletes with injuries; 413 (38%) of these were APSQ-positive, 246 (23%) were ASSQ-positive, and 468 (43%) athletes had no physical, psychological, or sleep problems. APSQ-positive respondents were significantly more likely to have a current injury than those who were APSQ-negative. No significant difference was observed between the number of ASSQ-positive and -negative respondents and current injuries. Those with sleep problems were significantly more likely to have psychological problems. CONCLUSION: More than 60% of university football players had one or more physical, psychological, or sleep problems. Players may have co-occurring problems, and it is important to address them for these athletes to reach peak performance.

Influence of Surveillance Methods in the Detection of Sports Injuries and Illnesses.

Background: Epidemiological data on sports injuries and illnesses depend on the surveillance methodology and the definition of the health problems. The effect of different surveillance methods on the data collection has been investigated for overuse injuries, but not for other health problems such as traumatic injuries and illnesses. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the new surveillance method developed by the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC), which is based on any complaint definition (new method), to identify health problems compared with the traditional surveillance method, which is based on time loss definition. Study design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: A total of 62 Japanese athletes were prospectively followed-up for 18 weeks to assess differences in health problems identified by both new and traditional methods. Every week, the athletes completed the Japanese version of the OSTRC questionnaire (OSTRC-H2.​JP), whereas the teams' athletic trainers registered health problems with a time loss definition. The numbers of health problems identified via each surveillance method were calculated and compared with each other to assess any differences between their results. Results: The average weekly response rate to the OSTRC-H2.​JP was 82.1% (95% CI, 79.8-84.3). This new method recorded 3.1 times more health problems (3.1 times more injuries and 2.8 times more illnesses) than the traditional method. The difference between both surveillance methods' counts was greater for overuse injuries (5.3 times) than for traumatic injuries (2.5 times). Conclusions: This study found that the new method captured more than three times as many health problems as the traditional method. In particular, the difference between both methods' counts was greater for overuse injuries than for traumatic injuries. Level of evidence: 2b.

Sports Injury Surveillance Systems and Guidelines in Japan: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to identify sports injury surveillance systems (ISSs) and injury surveillance guidelines (ISGs) developed and currently used in Japan. Additionally, the extent to which ISSs and ISGs developed overseas are employed in Japan was also examined. A systematic search of electronic databases was performed in March 2021. Prospective studies that investigated sports injuries and targeted Japanese athletes or sports in Japan were included to identify the following: (1) details of the ISSs or ISGs developed among sports in Japan, and (2) characteristics of studies focusing on sports in Japan employing ISSs or ISGs developed overseas and the method of use. A total of five ISSs developed among sports in Japan were included, most of which were based on insurance benefits or condolence payment systems. In total, 23 studies used ISSs or ISGs developed overseas, more than half of which were used as a resource for the development of other data collection tools or methods, indicating that the definition of injury and/or classification of items are modified based on the needs among sports in Japan. This review highlights the necessity of establishing club-based or organisational ISSs and ISGs that are appropriate for sports in Japan.

Injury pattern based on player positions in Japanese university handball: a cross-sectional study of 2056 players.

BACKGROUND: Although it is evident that the risk of injury in handball varies according to player position, it is unclear whether the characteristics of these injuries also differ. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the position-associated injury profiles of university handball players in Japan. METHODS: A total of 2056 participants who played in the 2018 and 2019 Japanese National University Handball Championships were included in this cross-sectional study. A self-reported injury questionnaire regarding demographic and injury-related information was administered. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of injury during the one-year period preceding the questionnaire was 44.1%, and back (47.9%) and line (49.2%) players exhibited a higher proportion of injuries than players in other positions (P<0.001). The ankle, knee, and shoulder/clavicle were the most common body regions affected by traumatic injuries, and knee and shoulder/clavicle injuries differed based on player positions (P=0.033). Conversely, overuse injuries predominantly affected the lumber spine/lower back, knee, and foot/toe, although there were no significant differences between player positions (P=0.188). In terms of injury mechanism, line players exhibited a higher proportion of contact injuries and goalkeepers had a higher proportion of non-contact injuries than that of other positions (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Back and line players experienced more injuries than players in other positions. Depending on the player position, there were significant differences in the prevalence and patterns of injury. Therefore, injury prevention measures need to consider the characteristics of injuries based on player positions.

Injuries in Japanese university handball: a study among 1017 players.

The aim of this study was to examine the injury profile of Japanese university handball players. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1017 participants who played in the 2018 Japanese National University Handball Championship were followed. The incidence within the previous year was 0.59 [95% CI, confidence interval: 0.56-0.62] per player per year. The ankle (33.3%), knee (23.6%), and shoulder/clavicle (12.6%) were the body regions most affected by traumatic mechanisms, while the lumbar spine/lower back (26.0%), knee (15.7%), and shoulder (15.0%) were the body regions most affected by overuse mechanisms. Sprain (30.7%), ligamentous rupture (23.2%), and fracture (11.8%) were the main types of traumatic injuries, and stress fracture (25.0%) and lesion of meniscus or cartilage (25.0%) were the main types of overuse injuries. Female players were 1.5 times more likely (OR, odds ratio: 1.55 [95% CI: 1.20-2.01]) to experience an injury than their male counterparts, and line players were also 1.5 times more likely (OR: 1.49 [95% CI: 1.00-2.21]) to experience an injury than their wing counterparts. This study showed that there is a need for increased injury prevention efforts in Japanese handball, especially among female players.

Injury pattern according to player position in Japanese youth handball: A cross-sectional study among 2377 players.

OBJECTIVE: Although the incidence and pattern of injuries in youth handball have widely been investigated, it is unclear whether the characteristics of injuries differ on the basis of player position. This study aimed at revealing the player position-based injury profile in Japanese youth handball players. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Injury questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: Overall, 2377 participants who played in the 2018 and 2019 Japanese National High School Handball Championships were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence, body region, type, severity, and mechanism of injuries were collected through a questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of injury within the previous year was 46.7%, and the proportion of back players (52.8%) who sustained at least one injury was higher than that of players in other positions (p < 0.001). Differences in player positions were found among overuse injuries by body region, with a higher proportion of the lower leg and knee in wings and backs, respectively (p = 0.047). Among traumatic injuries, a higher proportion of ligamentous rupture in backs and fracture in lines were seen (p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: There were significant differences in the prevalence and patterns of injuries between player positions. Therefore, injury prevention programmes should consider the characteristics of player positions.

An update of the Japanese Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center questionnaires on overuse injuries and health problems.

Monitoring the health of athletes is important for their protection, and questionnaires such as those produced by the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) are a valuable tool in this process. In 2020, several changes were made to the OSTRC questionnaires (OSTRC-O, OSTRC-H), including changes to the wording, structure, and logic of the original questionnaires. In the present study, the Japanese versions of the OSTRC questionnaires (OSTRC-O.JP, OSTRC-H.JP) were revised to meet the requirements of the updated versions and to analyse new and previously collected data to illustrate the impact of the changes on Japanese athletes. Proposed changes were categorized as minor or more substantial; minor changes were effected to the questionnaire instructions and to the wording of all four questions, and more substantial changes were made to the wording of question 2. The updated questionnaires also included changes to questionnaire logic and answer categories. To assess the consequences of the changes to the wording of question 2, 101 athletes were asked to complete the OSTRC-H.JP, which included both the original and updated versions of question 2, over 10 consecutive weeks. We calculated the number of health problems identified when new gatekeeper logic was and was not applied, using 1585 OSTRC-H.JP responses to assess the consequences of the changes to the questionnaire logic. The kappa coefficient, which measures the level of agreement between the responses to question 2 of the original and updated versions, was high. By applying gatekeeper logic, there was a remarkable reduction in the number of injuries and illnesses among all health problems but less reduction in substantial health problems and time loss health problems. These changes will make it easier for Japanese athletes to complete the questionnaires and improve the quality of collected data.

Japanese translation and validation of web-based questionnaires on overuse injuries and health problems.

This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC-O) and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H) into the Japanese context. The validity and reliability of these translated questionnaires examining overuse injuries and health problems among Japanese university athletes were also examined. The translation was performed following an internationally recognized methodology. A total of 145 athletes were tracked over 10 consecutive weeks and four questions were added in the 10th week to examine the questionnaires' content validity. Test-retest analysis for reliability was performed 24-72 hours after the 10th week of registration. Internal consistency was determined by calculating Cronbach's a during the cohort study. No major disagreements were found in the translation process. The translated questionnaires had high acceptance and compliance, with an average response rate of over 80% throughout the 10-week cohort study. Most participants reported that the questionnaires were not difficult to complete, there were no items they wanted to change or add, and that the web-based technique worked effectively. Good test-retest reliability and high internal consistency was observed in the translated questionnaires. The translated questionnaires were found to be valid, reliable, and acceptable for medically monitoring Japanese athletes.

Effect of Forefoot Strike on Lower Extremity Muscle Activity and Knee Joint Angle During Cutting in Female Team Handball Players.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of different strike forms, during cutting, on knee joint angle and lower limb muscle activity. METHODS: Surface electromyography was used to measure muscle activity in individuals performing cutting manoeuvres involving either rearfoot strikes (RFS) or forefoot strikes (FFS). Three-dimensional motion analysis was used to calculate changes in knee angles, during cutting, and to determine the relationship between muscle activity and knee joint angle. Force plates were synchronized with electromyography measurements to compare muscle activity immediately before and after foot strike. RESULTS: The valgus angle tends to be smaller during FFS cutting than during RFS cutting. Just prior to ground contact, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle activities were significantly greater during FFS cutting than during RFS cutting; tibialis anterior muscle activity was greater during RFS cutting. Immediately after ground contact, biceps femoris and lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle activities were significantly greater during FFS cutting than during RFS cutting; tibialis anterior muscle activity was significantly lower during FFS cutting. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that the hamstrings demonstrate greater activity, immediately after foot strike, during FFS cutting than during RFS cutting. Thus, FFS cutting may involve a lower risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury than does RFS cutting.