Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletes
Objective To describe the first injury and to investigate whether it plays a role in altering athletics’ sustainable practice.Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using an exploratory survey on the first injury and its consequences on athletics practice. In 2021, we asked all high-level athl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2024-03-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/10/1/e001767.full |
| _version_ | 1827146347290034176 |
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| author | Debbie Palmer Pascal Edouard Frédéric Depiesse Joris Chapon Constance Mosser |
| author_facet | Debbie Palmer Pascal Edouard Frédéric Depiesse Joris Chapon Constance Mosser |
| author_sort | Debbie Palmer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective To describe the first injury and to investigate whether it plays a role in altering athletics’ sustainable practice.Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using an exploratory survey on the first injury and its consequences on athletics practice. In 2021, we asked all high-level athletes licensed with the French Federation of Athletics (FFA) under 18 years, under 20 years and under 23 years categories between 2007 and 2021.Results Out of 6560 emails sent by FFA, 544 athletes responded, and 93.6% (n=510) reported experiencing at least one injury during their career. The first injury occurred at a mean age of 17.5±3.3 years after 6.1±4.1 years of athletics practice. The main locations of the first injury were the posterior thigh (28.9%), the ankle (16.5%) and the knee (12.6%), and the principal reported injury types were muscle (37.7%), tendon (17.5%) and ligament (15.5%). More than a third of injured athletes (36.7%) reported experiencing ongoing symptoms or sequelae after their first injury, and about half (48.5%) experienced recurrences. About 20% had stopped athletics at the time of the survey, with injury problems the primary cause of athletes dropping out (46.2%), including the first injury (9.4%).Conclusions Injuries played an important role in altering sustainable athletics practice, with injury accounting for about 50% of all reported dropouts and the first injury accounting for about 10% of all reported causes. Our results provide evidence to target the prevention of the first injury, which could be considered the origin of the ‘vicious circle’ of injuries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:03:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c3bbc11cff50413d80407f3bc75bd400 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-7647 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-20T20:29:03Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-c3bbc11cff50413d80407f3bc75bd4002024-08-17T08:05:10ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine2055-76472024-03-0110110.1136/bmjsem-2023-001767Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletesDebbie Palmer0Pascal Edouard1Frédéric Depiesse2Joris Chapon3Constance Mosser4Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network & UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Institute for Sport, PE and Health Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UKInter-university Laboratory of Human Movement Biology (EA 7424), Université Jean Monnet, Lyon 1, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, Saint-Etienne, FranceCH Chalons en Champagne et Institut Mutualiste de Montsouris, Paris, FranceInter-university Laboratory of Human Movement Biology, EA 7424, F-42023, Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, Lyon 1, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, Saint-Etienne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, FranceInter-university Laboratory of Human Movement Biology (EA 7424), Université Jean Monnet, Lyon 1, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, Saint-Etienne, FranceObjective To describe the first injury and to investigate whether it plays a role in altering athletics’ sustainable practice.Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using an exploratory survey on the first injury and its consequences on athletics practice. In 2021, we asked all high-level athletes licensed with the French Federation of Athletics (FFA) under 18 years, under 20 years and under 23 years categories between 2007 and 2021.Results Out of 6560 emails sent by FFA, 544 athletes responded, and 93.6% (n=510) reported experiencing at least one injury during their career. The first injury occurred at a mean age of 17.5±3.3 years after 6.1±4.1 years of athletics practice. The main locations of the first injury were the posterior thigh (28.9%), the ankle (16.5%) and the knee (12.6%), and the principal reported injury types were muscle (37.7%), tendon (17.5%) and ligament (15.5%). More than a third of injured athletes (36.7%) reported experiencing ongoing symptoms or sequelae after their first injury, and about half (48.5%) experienced recurrences. About 20% had stopped athletics at the time of the survey, with injury problems the primary cause of athletes dropping out (46.2%), including the first injury (9.4%).Conclusions Injuries played an important role in altering sustainable athletics practice, with injury accounting for about 50% of all reported dropouts and the first injury accounting for about 10% of all reported causes. Our results provide evidence to target the prevention of the first injury, which could be considered the origin of the ‘vicious circle’ of injuries.https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/10/1/e001767.full |
| spellingShingle | Debbie Palmer Pascal Edouard Frédéric Depiesse Joris Chapon Constance Mosser Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletes BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine |
| title | Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletes |
| title_full | Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletes |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletes |
| title_short | Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletes |
| title_sort | understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport an online survey on 544 high level youth and junior athletics track and field athletes |
| url | https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/10/1/e001767.full |
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