Summary
Although participation in many sporting activities has increased dramatically in recent years, the study of injuries sustained during training or participation is still in its infancy.
The most commonly used strategy is to describe the characteristics of a suitable case-series. This approach is relatively easy to implement, can be used to estimate the total morbidity load in a population, and can identify the relative frequency of various types of injury. However, the case series method cannot validly identify risk factors for injury or athletes at high risk; similarly, it cannot be used to estimate the absolute level of risk associated with sports participation. Finally, the population from which the injuries arose is often difficult to identify, and the series may not be representative of all injuries occuring in that population, and this may produce quite misleading results.
In contrast, a variety of epidemiological designs may be employed to address questions of aetiology and to identify high risk groups of athletes. With careful attention to the underlying population denominators, one may estimate the relative or absolute risk of injury for athletes with given risk characteristics, defined by type and intensity of their participation in sports or by their individual physiology. This is achieved by inclusion of suitable control subjects in the epidemiological sample; these controls may be uninjured athletes or random samples of the general population. The comparison of injured and uninjured groups permits valid inferences to be drawn concerning risk factors, avoiding the many potential biases which affect inferences drawn from injured athletes only.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berson, B.L.; Rolnick, A.M.; Ramos, C.G. and Thorton, J.: An epidemiologic study of squash injuries. American Journal of Sports medicine 9: 103–106 (1981).
Birrer, R.B. and Birrer, CD.: Martial arts injuries. Physician and Sportsmedicine 10: 103–108 (1982).
Bohlmann, J.T.: Injuries in competitive cycling. Physician and Sportsmedicine 9: 117–126(1981).
Brady, T.A.; Cahill, B.R. and Bodnar, L.M.: Weight training and related injuries in the high school athlete. American Journal of Sports Medicine 10: 1–5 (1982).
Cahill, B.R. and Griffith, E.H.: Effect of preseason conditioning on the incidence and severity of high school football knee injuries. American Journal of Sports Medicine 6: 1800–1840 (1978).
Canale, ST.; Cantler, E.D. Jr., Sisk, T.D. and Freeman, B.L.: A chronicle of injuries in an American football team. American Journal of Sports Medicine 9: 384–389 (1981).
Clare, P.E.: Trampoline injuries to the lower extremity. Two case reports. American Journal of Sports medicine 6: 141–142 (1978).
Clement, D.B.; Tauton, J.E.; Smart, G.W. and McNicol, K.L.: A survey of overuse running injuries. Physician and Sportsmedicine 9: 47–59(1981).
Dowling, P.A.: Prospective study of injuries in the U.S. Ski Association freestyle skiing — 1976–77 to 1979–80. American Journal of Sports Medicine 10: 268–275 (1982).
Ekstrand, J. and Gillquist, J.: The frequency of muscle tightness and injuries in soccer players. American Journal of Sports Medicine 10: 75–78 (1982).
Estwanik, J.J.; Bergfeld, J. and Canty, T.: Report of injuries sustained during the United States Olympic wrestling trials. American Journal of Sports Medicine 6: 335–340 (1978).
Ferkel, R.D.; Mai, L.L.; Ullis, K.C. and Finerman, G.A.M.: An analysis of roller skating injuries. American Journal of Sports Medicine 10: 24–30(1982).
Garrick, J.G. and Requa, R.K.: Epidemiology of women’s gymnastics injuries. American Journal of Sports Medicine 8: 261–264(1980).
Gruchow, H.W. and Pelletier, D.: An epidemiologic study of tennis elbow. American Journal of Sports Medicine 7: 234–238 (1979).
Hawkins, R.W. and Lyne, E.D.: Skateboarding fractures. American Journal of Sports Medicine 9: 99–102 (1981).
Hayes, D.: An injury profile of hockey. Canadian Journal of Applied Sports Science 3: 61–64 (1978).
Henry, J.H.; Lareau, B. and Neigut, D.: The injury rate in professional basketball. American Journal of Sports Medicine 10: 16–18(1982).
Hummel, G. and Gainor, B.J.: Waterskiing related injuries. American Journal of Sports Medicine 10: 215–218 (1982).
Indelicate P.A.; Jobe, F.W.; Kerlan, R.K.; Carter, V.S.; Shields, C.L. and Lombardo, S.J.: Correctable elbow lesions in professional baseball players. American Journal of Sports Medicine 7: 72–75 (1979).
Johnson, R.J.; Ettlinger, C.F.; Campbell, R.J. and Pope, M.H.: Trends in skiing injuries. American Journal of Sports Medicine 8: 106–112(1980).
Keene, J.S.; Narechania, R.G.; Sachtjeu, K.M. and Clancy, W.G.: Tarton turf on trial. American Journal of Sports Medicine 8: 43–47 (1980).
Kirby, R.L.; Simms, F.C.; Symington, V.J. and Garner, J.B.: Flexibility and musculoskeletal symptomatology in female gymnasts and age-matched controls. American Journal of Sports Medicine 9: 160–164(1981).
Koplan, J.P.; Powell, K.E.; Sikes, R.K.; Shirley, R.W. and Campbell, C.C.: An epidemiologic study of the benefits and risks of running. Journal of the American Medical Association 248 (23): 3118–3121 (1982).
Last, J.M.: The iceberg ‘Completing the clinical picture in general practice.’ Lancet 28–31 (1963).
Latshaw, R.F.; Kantner, T.R.; Kalenak, A.; Baum, S.; and Corcoran, J.J.: A pelvic stress fracture in a female jogger. American Journal of Sports Medicine 9: 54–56 (1981).
Leach, R.E. and Wasilewski, S.: Olecranon bursitis (dart thrower’s elbow). A case report illustrating overuse abuse in the sport of darts. American Journal of Sports Medicine 7: 299 (1979).
Lowry’ C.B. and Leveau, B.F.: A retrospective study of gymnastics injuries to competitors and non-competitors in private clubs. American Journal of Sports Medicine 10: 237–239 (1982).
Lyons, J.W. and Porter, R.E.: Cross-country skiing. A benign sport? Journal of the American Medical Association 239: 334–335 (1978).
Marcus, N.A.; Sweetser, E.R. and Benson, R.W.: Hot-air ballooning injuries. American Journal of Sports Medicine 9: 318–321 (1981).
McMaster, W.C. and Walker, M.: Injuries in soccer. American Journal of Sports Medicine 6: 354–357 (1978).
Mendryk, S.W. and Kramer, J.F.: A critique of accident and injury reporting methodology. Canadian Journal of Applied Sports Sciences 3: 1–4(1978).
Micheli, L.J.; Santopietro, F.; Gerbino, P. and Crowe, P.: Etiol-ogic assessment of overuse stress fractures in athletes. Nova Scotia Medical Bulletin. 43–47 (1980).
Nicholl, J.P. and Williams, B.T.: Popular marathons: Forecasting casualties. British Medical Journal 285: 1464–1465 (1982a).
Nicholl, J.P. and Williams, B.T.: Medical problems before and after a popular marathon. British Medical Journal 285: 1465–1466 (1982b).
Pagliano, J. and Jackson, D.: The ultimate study of running injuries. Runner’s World. November: 42–50 (1980).
Pashby, T.J.: Eye injuries in Canadian amateur hockey. American Journal of Sports medicine 7: 254–257 (1979).
Rodrigo, J.J. and Boyd, R.E.: Lumbar spine injuries in military parachute jumpers. Physician and Sportsmedicine 7 (9): 142–147(1979).
Rose, C.P.: Injuries in women’s field hockey: A four year study. Physician and Sports medicine 9: 97–104 (1981).
Runners World: Who is the American Runner. Runners World. December: 36–42(1980).
Sackett, D.L.: Bias in analytic research. Journal of Chronic Diseases 32: 51–63(1979).
Schussman, L.C. and Lutz, L.J.: Mountaineering and rock climbing accidents. Physician and Sportsmedicine 10: 52–61 (1982).
Snook. G.A.: Injuries in intercollegiate wrestling. American Journal of Sports Medicine 10: 142–144 (1982).
Torg, J.S.; Quedenfeld, T.C.; Burstein, A.; Spealman, A. and Nichols, C: National football head and neck injury registry: Report on cervical quadriplegia, 1971 to 1975. American Journal of Sports Medicine 7: 127–132 (1979).
Valliant, P.M.; Bernie, F.A.B. and Valiant, J.J.: Do marathoners differ from joggers in personality? Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 21: 62–67 (1981).
Walter, S.D.: Determination of significant relative risks and optimal sampling procedures in prospective and retrospective comparative studies of various sizes. American Journal of Epidemiology 105 (4): 387–397 (1977).
Watson, A.W.S.: Factors predisposing to sports injury in schoolboy rugby players. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 21: 417–422(1981).
Zaricznyj, B.; Shattuck, L.J.; Mast, T.A.; Robertson, R.V.and D’Elia, G.: Sports-related injuries in school-aged children. American Journal of Sports Medicine 8: 318–324 (1980).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Walter, S.D., Sutton, J.R., McIntosh, J.M. et al. The Aetiology of Sport Injuries. Sports Medicine 2, 47–58 (1985). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-198502010-00005
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-198502010-00005