A 16 year study of injuries to professional kickboxers in the state of Victoria, Australia

Objectives: To determine the rate and type of injuries occurring to registered professional kickboxers in Victoria, Australia over a 16 year period. Methods: Data describing all fight outcomes and injuries sustained during competition for the period August 1985 to August 2001 were obtained from the Victorian Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board. Results: A total of 382 injuries were recorded from 3481 fight participations, at an injury rate of 109.7 injuries per 1000 fight participations. The most common body region injured was the head/neck/face (52.5%), followed by the lower extremities (39.8%). Specifically, injuries to the lower leg (23.3%), the face (19.4%), and intracranial injury (17.2%) were the most common. Over 64% of the injuries were superficial bruising or lacerations. Conclusion: The nature of kickboxing, whereby kicking the opponent is the prime movement and the head a prime target, is reflected in the distributions of body regions most commonly injured by participants. Further research into injury patterns in different styles of kickboxing and the mechanism of injury occurrence is required. Exposure adjusted prospective studies are needed to monitor injury rates over time

Inclusion during school absence: Using ambient technology to create a classroom presence for hospitalised children

In this paper, we investigate the use of ambient technology to create a classroom presence for hospitalised children. We present results from four case studies, each of which included data from hospitalised children, their parents, classmates and teachers (at both school and hospital). Primary school-aged children from both metropolitan and rural areas were included. Data collected at both the hospital and the classroom were analysed to investigate children's experience of the ambient technology and their desire to be aware of the presence of their peers, from both ends of the hospital-school setting. The results indicate that ambient technology is positive at fostering a mutual sense of presence, from the perspective of the hospitalised children, their family, teachers and classmates