High precompetition injury rate dominates the injury profile at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games: a prospective cohort study of 51 198 athlete days

Abstract

Objectives To describe the incidence of injury in the precompetition and competition periods of the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games. Methods A total of 3657 athletes from 78 countries, representing 83.4% of all athletes at the Games, were monitored on the web-based injury and illness surveillance system over 51 198 athlete days during the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games. Injury data were obtained daily from teams with their own medical support. results A total of 510 injuries were reported during the 14-day Games period, with an injury incidence rate (IR) of 10.0 injuries per 1000 athlete days (12.1% of all athletes surveyed). The highest IRs were reported for football 5-a-side (22.5), judo (15.5) and football 7-a-side (15.3) compared with other sports (p<0.05). Precompetition injuries were significantly higher than in the competition period (risk ratio: 1.40, p<0.05), and acute traumatic injuries were the most common injuries at the Games (IR of 5.5). The shoulder was the most common anatomical area affected by injury (IR of 1.8). Conclusion The data from this study indicate that (1) IRs were lower than those reported for the London 2012 Summer Paralympic Games, (2) the sports of football 5-a-side, judo and football 7-a-side were independent risk factors for injury, (3) precompetition injuries had a higher IR than competition period injuries, (4) injuries to the shoulder were the most common. These results would allow for comparative data to be collected at future editions of the Games and can be used to inform injury prevention programmes.

Assessing the Validity of the MyJump2 App for Measuring Different Jumps in Professional Cerebral Palsy Football Players: An Experimental Study (Preprint)

“…For example, Willick et al [5], presented similar incidences of injury rates in CP Football (11.2 / 1000 athletes days) as in all sports (12.7 / 1000 athletes days) in the Paralympic Games of London 2012. This is quite similar to the injury rates for CP Football in the Paralympic Games of Rio 2016 (10.2 / 1000 athletes days) [6], in which it is noted that injuries by overuse are the third highest prevalence (7.1%), as well as higher injury rates during competition (64%). Since there are high injury rates in CP Football and strength and power seem to be determinant for CP Football, it is important to establish reliable options to measure and analyse this variable.…”

“…In this way, vertical jumps are an ecological alternative that provide an assessment near the athletes' practice. Furthermore, vertical jumps have been used as an important parameter for injury prevention [7,8], which is already demonstrated to be a relevant factor in CP Football [6]. To evaluate vertical jumps, accurate and expensive instruments are often needed, such as force platforms [9] and contact mats [10,11].…”

Incidence of Shoulder Injury in Elite Wheelchair Athletes Differ Between Sports: A Critically Appraised Topic

“…1,7,8 Although the most recent epidemiological study using data collected at the Rio Paralympics did not meet our study inclusion criteria, it reiterates findings that the shoulder is the most susceptible body part to overuse injury. 9 Overuse shoulder injuries in wheelchair athletes are commonly reported as soft-tissue injuries due to repetitive nature. 1,7,8 This mechanism typically refers to the repetitive motions associated with wheelchair propulsion as seen in racing sports.…”

“…5 Wheelchair fencing reported the second highest injury incident rate out of 22 sports at the Rio Paralympics. 9 Athletes who utilize a wheelchair while competing in sports (eg, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis) were among the top 8 sports with the highest injury rate. 9 This further supports the concept of an unstable base contributing to injury.…”

“…9 Athletes who utilize a wheelchair while competing in sports (eg, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis) were among the top 8 sports with the highest injury rate. 9 This further supports the concept of an unstable base contributing to injury. Determining the injury to be caused by the repetitive deficits in kinetic chain rather than a single repetitive motion is a unique aspect and finding.…”