Sport and recreation musculoskeletal injuries in Irish primary school children

Musculoskeletal injury in children can lead to negative physical, psychological and socio-economic effects. This study aimed to examine sport and recreation injury incidence in Irish primary school children. A cross-sectional survey of 842 male and female Irish primary school children (9.62 ± 1.7 years) was conducted. Parents completed a questionnaire examining estimated weekly participation in sport and recreation and any injuries sustained in the previous 12 months that resulted in restricted performance, restricted ability to fully take part in or time lost from sport, recreational activities or school. Overall, 28.3% sustained an injury in one year, of which 30% presented to their local hospital emergency department. Sports injuries (.15 per 1,000 hours) were significantly more common than recreational injuries (.04 per 1,000 hours). Contact injuries were predominant (78.4%), with falling (19.3%), running (16.9%) and tackling/being tackled (16.5%) most common. Finger/thumb and ankle injuries were most common. Knee injuries resulted in the greatest injury burden (4.77 days absent per 1,000 hours of sport and recreation) and 3 in 10 injuries were referred for a scan. A multi-level approach to managing and reducing sport and recreation musculoskeletal injuries in primary school children that targets all relevant stakeholders including parents, teachers, coaches and the children themselves should be considered to promote safe play and sporting participation for children.Financial support for the publication of this article was provided by Athlone Institute of Technology

Are internal training load measures associated with injuries in male adolescent Gaelic football players?

his study aimed to examine internal loads in male adolescent Gaelic footballers and their association with musculoskeletal injury. Written training diaries were completed by 97 male adolescent Gaelic footballers weekly and injuries, defined as any injury sustained during training or competition causing restricted performance or time lost from play, were assessed by a Certified Athletic Therapist. Daily load was determined for each player (session rating of perceived exertion by session duration) and summed to give weekly load. Univariate and multiple logistic regressions were conducted to determine the association with injury. Twenty-two injuries were recorded with match injuries significantly more common than training injuries. Periodic variations in weekly load and injuries were evident throughout the season. Univariate analysis identified weekly load (OR = 2.75; 95%CI = 1.00-7.59), monotony (OR = 4.17; 95%CI = 1.48-11.72) and absolute change in load (OR = 3.27; 95%CI = 1.15-9.32) greater than the team average were significant injury risk factors. Multiple logistic regression with 2-weekly and 3-weekly cumulative loads, absolute change, monotony, strain, ACWR and age as independent variables identified internal load measures (monotony, strain and absolute change) were associated with injury with high specificity (96.0%) but low sensitivity (25.0%). The findings highlight the need to monitor team and individual loads to avoid sudden week-to-week changes or excessive weekly loads. Open communication between players, parents, coaches and sports medicine clinicians enables effective load monitoring that can reduce injury risk and may subsequently minimise dropout, improve team success and overall sport enjoyment and promote life-long sports participation

Fear-avoidance following musculoskeletal injury in male adolescent Gaelic footballers.

Context: Participating in Gaelic football provides a wealth of benefits, but a risk of musculoskeletal injury also exists. Injury is associated with physical consequences, including pain, discomfort, loss of function, time absent from school/sport, and considerable medical expenses, along with placing undue pressure on emergency services and hospital staff. Concurrent psychological consequences, such as fear avoidance, can also occur, causing psychological distress. There is a current dearth of available research examining the psychology of injury in male adolescent Gaelic footballers. Objective: To examine fear avoidance postinjury in male adolescent Gaelic footballers, the effect of pain, time loss, injury severity, and previous injury on the extent of fear avoidance, and the usefulness of a modified Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ) as a screening tool for predicting injury. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Recreational clubs. Participants: A total of 97 male adolescent club Gaelic footballers (13.4 [1.1] y). Interventions: Musculoskeletal injuries sustained during participation in Gaelic football, defined as any injury sustained during training or competition causing restricted performance or time lost from play, were assessed and recorded weekly by a certified athletic and rehabilitation therapist. Injuries requiring time loss from participation were classed as time-loss injuries. Injury characteristics that included type, nature, location, severity, and pain were recorded. Main Outcome Measures: Injured players completed the AFAQ, a measure of injury-related fear avoidance following injury assessment (AFAQ1). With time-loss injuries, the AFAQ was completed again (AFAQ2) prior to return to play. Modified AFAQ was completed at baseline. Results: Twenty-two injuries were recorded during the season with fear avoidance evident postinjury that significantly decreased before returning to play. Fear avoidance postinjury was higher in those with greater pain but time loss, injury severity, and previous injury did not significantly affect the extent of fear avoidance. Baseline fear avoidance did not predict injury. Conclusions: Psychological rehabilitation is recommended for managing postinjury psychological distress in male adolescent Gaelic footballers

The design and implementation of a novel mental health literacy educational intervention program in Gaelic footballers

Context: Lack of education, stigma and negative self-attitudes are key barriers to help-seeking in Gaelic footballers. With the prevalence of mental health issues in Gaelic footballers and the increased risk of experiencing mental health issues following injury, mental health literacy (MHL) interventions are necessary. Objective: To design and implement a novel MHL educational intervention program in Gaelic footballers. Design: Controlled laboratory study. Setting: Online. Patients or Other Participants: Elite and sub-elite Gaelic footballers, including an intervention (n=70* ; 25.1±4.5years) and control group (n=75; 24.4±6.0years). * [Eighty-five participants were recruited to the intervention group but n=15 dropped out after completing baseline measures.] Interventions: A novel educational intervention program, ‘GAA and Mental Health–Injury and a Healthy Mind’, was designed to address the key components of MHL and was underpinned by the Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Help-Seeking Model. The intervention was implemented online via a brief, 25-minute presentation. Main Outcome Measures: Measures of stigma, help-seeking attitudes and MHL were completed by the intervention group at baseline, immediately post-attendance at the MHL program and 1-week and 1-month post-intervention. The control group completed the measures at similar time points. Results: Stigma significantly decreased and attitudes to help-seeking and MHL significantly increased in the intervention group from baseline to post-intervention (p<0.05), with significant differences sustained at 1-week and 1-month follow-up. Our results showed significant differences in stigma, attitude and MHL between groups across time points. Intervention participants provided positive feedback and the program was appraised as informative

A multi-disciplinary approach to alternative training methods for endurance athletes and their relationship with performance

The physiological determinants most closely associated with successful endurance performance are factors primarily related to oxygen uptake including V̇O02max, economy of movement and lactate threshold. As a consequence, endurance athletes typically spend extended periods of training utilising modalities designed to improve aerobic capacity. Despite this, successful endurance performance in sports such as rowing requires not only a high aerobic capacity but also muscular strength and anaerobic power necessary for attacking, pace changing and final sprints. Through a multi-disciplinary approach, the aim of this research was to investigate the impact of alternative methods of training on welltrained endurance athletes in order to maximise training adaptations of the key biomechanical and physiological determinants associated with endurance performance. The effect of maximal stretch shortening cycle (SSC) fatigue on the biomechanical performance of both well-trained endurance and strength trained athletes was investigated. Maximal SSC fatigue had an immediate, debilitating effect on the performance of subsequent SSC activities for both strength and endurance athletes. This effect was realised through reductions in performance outcome and the biomechanical performance of the jump indicating that the effectiveness of the SSC was significantly reduced resulting in a decrease in performance. During recovery an enhancement above baseline values was observed for both groups of athletes. This enhancement may be attributable to a post activation potentiation (PAP) effect, leading to an acute improvement in performance as a result of prior muscle activation, whereby subsequent SSC activities can be performed with a more effective SSC. To successfully prescribe training for well-trained endurance athletes an in-depth knowledge of the specific demands of the sport is pertinent and therefore the physiological determinants of 2000 m rowing ergometer performance were also investigated. The main finding was that WV̇O2max was the strongest correlate of performance and was the variable with the most influence on performance. It has been suggested that in well-trained athletes, additional increases in aerobic training may not result in any further improvement in endurance performance or associated physiological variables and therefore the effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on well-trained rowers was investigated. The results revealed that eight weeks of HIIT performed at 100% peak power output was a more effective means than traditional, long, slow distance training to elicit improvements in ̇V̇O2max and power output associated with lactate threshold. HIIT also resulted in a significant improvement in 2000 m time trial improvement, although this improvement was not significantly greater than that observed with traditional training. In summary, the findings of this thesis indicate that well-trained endurance athletes have the potential to elicit a similar PAP effect to that observed in strength trained athletes following maximal SSC fatigue. HIIT was also identified as an effective modality to optimise the development of aerobic characteristics and enhance rowing performance. In conclusion, this research adds to the existing body of research by showing that, compared to traditional training modalities adopted, alternative training methods such as maximal SSC activities and HIIT may further enhance biomechanical and physiological function and performance in well-training endurance athletes

A qualitative examination of factors inhibiting and facilitating professional mental health help-seeking following Injury in sub-elite club Gaelic footballers

Mental health issues are common in Gaelic footballers, with injury significantly increasing the risk of experiencing symptoms of a common mental disorder. However, professional help-seeking is not common in athletes, with a preference for informal help sources who may be untrained and inexperienced to provide help and support. Participation at the sub-elite, or club, level represents the broadest playing population in Gaelic football and therefore, the current study aimed to examine the barriers and facilitators to professional mental health help-seeking among sub-elite adult Gaelic footballers. Male (n=14) and female (n=13) sub-elite Gaelic footballers with a history of injury participated in a focus group. Focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Education, the attitudes, actions and opinions of others and accessibility were perceived as key barriers and facilitators to help-seeking among sub-elite Gaelic footballers. Negative self-attitudes to help-seeking and characteristics of the professional help-provider were identified as additional barriers. Interventions aimed at reducing identified barriers must be introduced and professional mental health help-seeking facilitated to ensure Gaelic footballers are managing their mental health post-injury

How Does the Dietary Intake of Female Field-Based Team Sport Athletes Compare to Dietary Recommendations for Health and Performance? A Systematic Literature Review

Field-based team sports present large energetic demands given their intermittent high-intensity nature. Current evidence suggests that the dietary intake of female athletes may be insufficient to meet such demands, resulting in negative consequences for athletic performance and health. The primary aim of this review was to therefore assess the adequacy of dietary intake of female field-based team sport athletes when compared to dietary recommendations. A systematic search of databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and OpenGrey, was performed from the earliest record available until July 2020, obtaining an initial total of 2588 articles. To be included within the final review, articles were required to provide a quantitative assessment of baseline dietary intake specific to the target population. A total of 20 studies (n = 462) met the full eligibility criteria. A majority reported that the dietary intake of female field-based team sport athletes was insufficient in overall energy (2064 ± 309 kcal·day−1), carbohydrate (4.3 ± 1.2 g·kg·day−1), and iron intake (13.6 ± 6.2 mg·day−1) when compared to recommendations. Future research is required to establish why female team sport athletes consistently demonstrate deficient dietary practices, and to explore the potential negative consequences of this

Evaluation of Nutrition Knowledge in Female Gaelic Games Players

Improvements in nutrition knowledge have been associated with increased carbohydrate consumption and greater adherence to dietary recommendations among female athletes. In order to assess whether nutrition knowledge interventions in female Gaelic games players may be beneficial, it is necessary to first of all investigate current levels of nutrition knowledge in this population. Given that many demographic characteristics have been shown to influence nutrition knowledge, it is also important for these to be investigated. The aims of this study were to evaluate the nutrition knowledge of female Gaelic games players, compare knowledge by players&rsquo; characteristics and identify players&rsquo; preferences for information and support. A validated 35-item questionnaire was completed by 328 female Gaelic games players (Age: 23.7 &plusmn; 5.0 years). Players&rsquo; mean nutrition knowledge score was 46.0% &plusmn; 11.8% and classified as &ldquo;poor&rdquo;. Elite players scored greater (+4.5&ndash;5.9%, p &lt; 0.05) than subelite players. Players with higher levels of general education, history of formal nutrition education and previous advice from a nutritionist also presented greater nutrition knowledge (+3.7&ndash;7.5%, p &lt; 0.05). Future education interventions with female Gaelic games players may lead to beneficial changes in dietary behaviour and would likely benefit from stratifying content based on athletes&rsquo; demographic characteristics, given the differences observed