A national survey of urinary incontinence in professional Team England female athletes.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of urinary incontinence in Team England female athletes participating in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the self-imposed lifestyle modifications used to manage symptoms in training and competition and the impact on performance. STUDY DESIGN: This was a Cross-Sectional Survey. All Team England female athletes participating in 2018 Commonwealth Games were asked to complete a structured questionnaire regarding symptoms and management of urinary incontinence. Chi-squared statistical analysis was applied to relevant data. RESULTS: 103 athletes were included. 52 % reported experiencing urinary incontinence (38 % in training vs 27 % in competition X2 = 2.68, p0.13). Highest rates of incontinence were seen in cycling and gymnastics, with lowest rates of incontinence in swimming and rugby. In sports requiring form fitting garments, 64 % did not feel they could wear a pad in training, compared with 19 % in sports with less form-fitting clothing. In competition, 75 % of athletes wearing form-fitting clothing did not feel they could wear a pad, compared with 24 % of those with less form-fitting attire (X2 = 16.9, p < 0.001 in training; X2 = 24.04, p = <0.001 in competition). 11 % of athletes reported reducing fluid intake to reduce urinary incontinence in training and 8 % reported doing this in competition. Only 3 % of athletes reported that their performance is affected by urinary incontinence. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of urinary incontinence is higher in athletes than in the general population. Tight-fitting sportswear is a barrier to athletes using pads to manage urinary incontinence. Athletes may reduce fluid intake to reduce urinary leakage in training and competition, which may affect performance. However, few athletes report that urinary incontinence has an impact overall.

Medical care and first aid: an interassociation consensus framework for organised non-elite sport during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cessation of amateur and recreational sport has had significant implications globally, impacting economic, social and health facets of population well-being. As a result, there is pressure to resume sport at all levels. The ongoing prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and subsequent 'second waves' require urgent best practice guidelines to be developed to return recreational (non-elite) sports as quickly as possible while prioritising the well-being of the participants and support staff.This guidance document describes the need for such advice and the process of collating available evidence. Expert opinion is integrated into this document to provide uniform and pragmatic recommendations, thereby optimising on-field and field-side safety for all involved persons, including coaches, first responders and participants.The nature of SARS-CoV-2 transmission means that the use of some procedures performed during emergency care and resuscitation could potentially be hazardous, necessitating the need for guidance on the use of personal protective equipment, the allocation of predetermined areas to manage potentially infective cases and the governance and audit of the process.

Interassociation consensus recommendations for pitch-side emergency care and personal protective equipment for elite sport during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated many novel responses in healthcare including sport and exercise medicine. The cessation of elite sport almost globally has had significant economic implications and resulted in pressure to resume sport in very controlled conditions. This includes protecting pitch-side medical staff and players from infection. The ongoing prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and the desire to resume professional sport required urgent best practice guidelines to be developed so that sport could be resumed as safely as possible. This set of best practice recommendations assembles early evidence for managing SARS-CoV-2 and integrates expert opinion to provide a uniform and pragmatic approach to enhance on-field and pitch-side safety for the clinician and player. The nature of SARS-CoV-2 transmission creates new hazards during resuscitation and emergency care and procedures. Recommendations for the use and type of personal protective equipment during on-field or pitch-side emergency medical care is provided based on the clinical scenario and projected risk of viral transmission.

Concussion in field hockey: a retrospective analysis into the incidence rates, mechanisms, symptoms and recovery of concussive injuries sustained by elite field hockey players.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the incidence and mechanisms of concussion in elite Field Hockey in different age groups and also the postconcussion symptoms and recovery times. METHODS: Data was collected retrospectively, for both training and matches, over a 12-month period from national level Field Hockey players across under-16, under-18, under-21, Development and Senior players. Mechanism of injury (including player role and field position), postconcussive symptoms and recovery times were recorded following a semistructured interview with each player. Additional information on training hours, matches and squad size were also recorded in order to calculate the incidence per 1000 match hours. RESULTS: Of the 28 recorded cases, only 11 could be included in the study. Women had the highest incidence of concussion, with the majority being in the under-21 age group. Overall incidence varied from 3/1000 match hours in training to 0.02/1000 match hours in matches, with an overall incidence of 0-0.02/1000 match hours across all age groups. The most common mechanism of injury was collision with another player, followed by impact from a stick or ball Midfield and attacking forwards sustained the highest incidence of concussion. None of the concussed athletes wore protective headgear (there were no cases of concussion in goal keepers) and all occurred in open play rather than a penalty corner (when protective headgear is often worn). Postconcussion headaches and difficulty concentrating were the most commonly reported postconcussion symptoms. Average recovery time and return-to-play was 2-4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the low numbers, only limited conclusions can be made, but it would appear that the risk of concussion in elite Field Hockey is low. As age and skill increases, the risk decreases. Postconcussion symptoms and average return-to-play times are similar to other sports. From this study, no conclusions can be made as to the role of protective headgear to reduce the risk of concussion.