Social Identity, Mental Toughness, and Behavioural Intentions as Antecedents of Overuse Injury Pain in Physical Activity Contexts

Psychological factors specific to overuse injury pain in physical activity contexts were explored within a social identity theoretical framework. Study 1 involved development of a method for designating overuse injury pain occurrence of hikers (N = 751), along with exploration of relationships between psychological measures, overuse injury pain occurrence, and effort levels. The findings of this cross-sectional, mixed-methods investigation revealed that social identification, social identity content, and mental toughness differentiated hikers who incurred overuse injury pain or selected a higher-effort behaviour from those who did not. From qualitative analysis, several social identity constructs (i.e., group member’s presence, in-group status, social creativity, additional social identity content) emerged as contributors to overuse injury occurrence. The focus of Study 2 was a prospective examination of the aforementioned psychological factors in relation to overuse injury severity of hikers (N = 283). Additionally, the Test of Intentions to Reduce Effort (TIRE) was developed to identify individuals with susceptibility to higher overuse injury severity. Results provided evidence of factorial, construct, and predictive validity of TIRE factor scores. TIRE factors and social identity content significantly predicted higher severity of hikers’ overuse injury pain. Mental toughness scores moderated the relationship between social identification and overuse injury severity. Study 3 consisted of a qualitative examination of social identity mechanisms of overuse injury pain in a physical activity context, CrossFit®, involving the presence of group leaders, and in which group members view each other. Findings revealed mechanisms pertaining to social identity content, in-group status, and social threats. Overall, the findings support a new means for assessing overuse injury occurrence and susceptibility to higher overuse injury severity, whilst demonstrating the potential applicability of social identity theory to the study of overuse injury. Knowledge gained may ultimately aid development of interventions to reduce overuse injury occurrence and severity of physical activity participants

Social Identity, Mental Toughness, and Behavioural Intentions as Antecedents of Overuse Injury Pain in Physical Activity Contexts

Psychological factors specific to overuse injury pain in physical activity contexts were explored within a social identity theoretical framework. Study 1 involved development of a method for designating overuse injury pain occurrence of hikers (N = 751), along with exploration of relationships between psychological measures, overuse injury pain occurrence, and effort levels. The findings of this cross-sectional, mixed-methods investigation revealed that social identification, social identity content, and mental toughness differentiated hikers who incurred overuse injury pain or selected a higher-effort behaviour from those who did not. From qualitative analysis, several social identity constructs (i.e., group member’s presence, in-group status, social creativity, additional social identity content) emerged as contributors to overuse injury occurrence. The focus of Study 2 was a prospective examination of the aforementioned psychological factors in relation to overuse injury severity of hikers (N = 283). Additionally, the Test of Intentions to Reduce Effort (TIRE) was developed to identify individuals with susceptibility to higher overuse injury severity. Results provided evidence of factorial, construct, and predictive validity of TIRE factor scores. TIRE factors and social identity content significantly predicted higher severity of hikers’ overuse injury pain. Mental toughness scores moderated the relationship between social identification and overuse injury severity. Study 3 consisted of a qualitative examination of social identity mechanisms of overuse injury pain in a physical activity context, CrossFit®, involving the presence of group leaders, and in which group members view each other. Findings revealed mechanisms pertaining to social identity content, in-group status, and social threats. Overall, the findings support a new means for assessing overuse injury occurrence and susceptibility to higher overuse injury severity, whilst demonstrating the potential applicability of social identity theory to the study of overuse injury. Knowledge gained may ultimately aid development of interventions to reduce overuse injury occurrence and severity of physical activity participants

Relationship of footwear comfort, selected size, and lower leg overuse injuries among infantry soldiers

Funding Information: This research was financially supported by a Rīga Stradiņš University doctoral research grant. Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the soldiers who participated in the study and the Latvian National Army Logistic Command Military Medical Support Centre for the support. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).BACKGROUND: High rates of musculoskeletal injuries such as plantar fasciitis and stress fractures have been observed among physically active military personnel. During service time, infantry soldiers use issued boots daily that should fit well and provide comfort to prevent injuries and decrease lower extremity pain effectively. The association of military boot comfort with overuse injuries remains unclear. This study investigates the relationship between the chosen military boot size, perceived boot comfort and lower leg overuse injury. METHODS: During the cross-sectional study, 227 (males, n = 213; females, n = 14) active-duty infantry soldiers at a mean age of 29.5 years old, and with an average service time of 7.2 years were assessed for a history of overuse injury, footprint length, appropriate shoe size, and footwear comfort. Males with a history of overuse injury (n = 32) and non-injured age-matched controls (n = 34) were selected for detailed testing and establishing the possible relationship between footwear comfort and lower leg overuse injury. RESULTS: No relationship was found between footwear comfort and a history of lower leg overuse injury. N = 38 (57.6%) of study subjects were wearing an inappropriate shoe size daily. Inappropriate shoe size usage affected footwear comfort ratings significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Study results showed that improper boot size was significantly related to comfort ratings but was not associated with a history of lower leg overuse injury.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Increased Barefoot Stride Variability Might Be Predictor Rather than Risk Factor for Overuse Injury in the Military

Funding Information: This research was financially supported by a Rīga Stradiņš University doctoral research grant. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Footwear usage could be a promising focus in reducing musculoskeletal injury risk in lower extremities commonly observed among the military. The goal of this research was to find potential gait-related risk factors for lower leg overuse injuries. Cases (n = 32) were active-duty infantry soldiers who had suffered an overuse injury in the previous six months of service before enrolling in the study. The control group (n = 32) included infantry soldiers of the same age and gender who did not have a history of lower leg overuse injury. In the gait laboratory, individuals were asked to walk on a 5-m walkway. Rearfoot eversion, ankle plantar/dorsiflexion and stride parameters were evaluated for barefoot and shod conditions. Barefoot walking was associated with higher stride time variability among cases. According to the conditional regression analysis, stride time variability greater than 1.95% (AUC = 0.77, 95% CI (0.648 to 0.883), p < 0.001) during barefoot gait could predict lower leg overuse injury. Increased barefoot gait variability should be considered as a possible predictive factor for lower leg overuse injury in the military, and gait with military boots masked stride-related differences between soldiers with and without lower leg overuse injury.Peer reviewe

Early Sport Specialization: Overuse Injury and Burnout

There are an increasing number of opportunities for today’s youth to participate in year-round sport organizations that promote early sport specialization before the age of fifteen. Early sport specialization is linked to a higher rate of overuse injury of frequently used muscle groups. The physical, mental, and psychological demands of early sport specialization increase likelihood of burnout and cessation of sport participation. Early sport generalization allows physiological and psychological rest and recovery in youth athletes that lead to decreased injury rates and less burnout with more individuals continuing to participate in competitive sports throughout the collegiate years. The purpose of this research was to determine what effect, if any, early sport specialization in youth has on rate of overuse injury and burnout in NCAA Division III athletes at a small, private University. A 12-question, retrospective, written survey classified each participant as an early sport specialist or early sport generalist and gathered information on frequency of overuse injury and development of burnout during the high school and college competitive sport years. Statistical analysis indicated early sport generalists were more likely to participate in competitive collegiate athletics at the NCAA Division III Institution analyzed in this study (71.8%). Early sport specialists were more likely to experience burnout (P = 0.088) and may be more likely to develop overuse injury during the high school years (P = 0.254) but not the college years (P=0.385). It is unknown if early sport specialists are more likely to develop a greater number of overuse injuries throughout their competitive sport career than early sport generalists. Young athletes are encouraged to participate in multiple competitive sports but the results of this research were not statistically significant and further research needs to be done to support these conclusions

EFFECTS OF FATIGUE ON MOVEMENT VARIABILITY DURING STRETCHSHORTENING CYCLE

Although lower limb injury has been linked to fatigue, it is unknown whether movement variability may act as a protective mechanism, possibly reducing the risk of an athlete developing an overuse injury. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish the effects of fatigue on movement variability during the stretch-shortening cycle. Thirteen male athletes performed a submaximal stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) fatigue protocol, with three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic recorded for each participant’s lower limbs. When fatigued, athletes substantially increased their movement variability, whilst maintaining similar kinematics compared to when non-fatigued, suggesting that athletes with flexible motor behaviours and adaptability increase their movement variability when fatigued and, in turn, may decrease their risk of a developing an overuse injury

The Independent Newspapers Limited study: an investigation into occupational overuse syndrome within the newspaper industry : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

An investigation was undertaken into occupational overuse injuries. Overuse injuries are commonly associated with repetitive movements, sustained or constrained postures, and forceful movements. Other factors, such as work environment, amount of keyboard use, and the ergonomic status of the work area, have been identified as elements in the development of overuse injuries. These perspectives were used to provide research objectives in studying a sample of subjects working in the newspaper industry. Five hundred and seventy five respondents completed a questionnaire, which included a measure of the incidence and severity of overuse injuries, and questions aimed at discovering the effectiveness of different types of treatment and intervention strategies. Using a combination of descriptive and bivariate statistics, this data was analyzed. The analysis revealed low levels of reported muscular aches and pains. Of those subjects who did report some form of ache or pain, the majority answered that the level of their aches and pains had remained the same. As well, the image of the aetiology of overuse injuries which emerged, was in contradiction to much of the proceeding research in this area. The analysis also demonstrated that the treatment and intervention strategies being employed were ineffective. This was despite the fact that subjects often reported that they considered a particular strategy to be productive in managing their overuse injury. In the discussion section, the limitations of the questionnaire as a survey technique in this area of research was considered, and the possible effects these limitations have on the present study. This point has special relevance to the application of clinical models of overuse injury. It was concluded that the results demonstrated a need for research into effectively manipulating working conditions to counter-act the development, incidence and severity of overuse injuries. Such strategies as job enlargement and job rotation were suggested

Internal and external load measures as predictors of overuse injury risk in professional football players

Background Football is the most popular sport worldwide. Football has grown into a faster, intensive and more competitive game with a substantial increase in technical and physical demands. To reach the peak demands of match play, extensive training is necessary to improve performance and to reach the top level in professional football. Inadequate training loads prevent optimal performance adaptions, place the player at higher risk of being underprepared and may increase the risk of overuse injuries. Determining an optimal training load that improves performance and decreases the risk of overuse injuries is important. Therefore, monitoring and understanding individual responses to training loads are necessary. To date there is limited research regarding prediction of risk of overuse injuries with respect to optimal TL in professional football players. Aim To describe the pattern of injuries and determine the influence of load metrics and injury risk in South African professional football. The total GPS distance covered, the number of GPS measured high-intensity sprints and session Rating Perceived Exertion load and the effects on the risk of developing an overuse injury in professional football players. Objectives (1) To determine the relationship between total GPS distance (m) covered, ACWLR and overuse injuries in a full competitive season. (2) To determine the relationship between GPS measured high-intensity sprints, ACWLR and overuse injuries in a full competitive season. (3) To determine the relationship between session rating of perceived exertion, ACWLR and overuse injuries in a full competitive season. (4) To determine the overuse injury risk per playing position (defenders, midfielders and attackers). (5) To determine the patterns of injury during a full competitive season. (6) To determine the effect of the internal load (sRPE) and external load (GPS) in a congestion week compared to a normal week on overuse injury risk. Methods Data was collected from 32 professional football players in the first and reserve team over one full competitive Premier Soccer League season (2016/17). Training load metrics were assessed using the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWLR) to predict overuse injury risk within the team. The relationship between total GPS distance (m) covered (TDC), GPS measured high-intensity sprints (HIS), session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and ACWLR and overuse injuries was determined. Overuse injuries were described based on frequency, anatomical position and injury type as well as with regards to playing position (defenders, midfielders and attackers). The effect of a congestion week on overuse injury risk was also determined. Results No significant outcomes were recorded when predicting overuse injuries for the whole team, with regards to average TDC, HIS and sRPE ACWLR. Overuse injuries may be predicted when monitoring the individual player loads, thereby taking into account the peak demands of match play per playing position. Large difference between TDC and HIS and large increases or decreases (20%) within weeks may increase the risk of overuse injuries. Hamstrings and groins injuries are the most common injuries sustained and defenders sustained the most overuse injuries within the team relative to exposure time. Congestion weeks did not predict overuse injury risk

Assessing the effectiveness of micro-spring technology to reduce initial and peak loading rates when integrated into running footwear

Running has long been one of the world’s most popular recreational activities. The current total of European runners exceeds 80 million, approximately, 36% of 15�65-year-old European population. Running is one of the most widespread activities during which overuse injuries of the lower extremity occur (Hreljac, 2004). It has been estimated that up to 70% of runners will sustain an overuse injury during any one year period (Caspersen et al., 1984). Previous work has shown that impact forces and high loading rates are linked to injury rates in runners (Davis, Bowser, & Mullineaux, 2010). Despite the apparent advances in footwear technology and the plethora footwear choices available, we are yet to see a reduction in injury rates amongst runners