Injury frequency and characteristics (location, type, cause and severity) differed significantly among athletics (‘track and field’) disciplines during 14 international championships (2007–2018): implications for medical service planning

Correspondence to Dr Pascal Edouard, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne 42 055, France; [email protected]

Introduction

Competing and training in athletics (‘track and field’) carries the risk of injury,^{1 2} especially in international athletics championships where about 10 injuries per 1000 registered athletes have been reported,³ with a slightly higher risk in male than female athletes and sex related differences in injury characteristics.⁴

Athletics comprises several disciplines with different physical, mechanical, technical and psychological demands, which can potentially lead to different constraints on the musculoskeletal system.^1–4 During international athletics championships lasting 3–9 days, the number of injuries per 1000 registered athletes differed by sex and athletic discipline.^3–8 Differences between disciplines in injury location were also observed³ but their potential discipline specific differences between male and female athletes were not reported. Differences in other injury characteristics (eg, type) were not reported. Thus, the specific injury patterns (ie, combinations of the characteristics) in different athletic disciplines have not been described for high level athletes during international championships, although such information is of major interest.^{3 4}

We investigated differences among athletic disciplines in the frequency and characteristics of injuries sustained by male and female athletes during international athletics championships.

Methods

The study used a total population design in which eligible participants were all athletes registered for 14 international athletics championships.

• World Outdoor Championships 2007,⁹ 2009,⁶ 2011,⁵ 2013¹⁰;

• European Outdoor Championships 2012,⁷ 2014, 2016, 2018;

• World Indoor Championships 2014; and

• European Indoor Championships 2009, 2011,¹¹ 2013,⁸ 2015, 2017.

The analyses were based on an injury database comprising data collected using the same study design, injury definition and data collection procedures (previously described in detail^{3–9 11–13}). The database was updated and extended from previous studies.^{3 4} All injury reports in the database were anonymous—that is, they were not associated with individual athletes. There was no patient or public involvement. The study was reviewed and approved by the Saint-Etienne University Hospital ethics committee (institutional review board: IORG000481).

Newly incurred injuries during the athletics championships were reported daily by the national medical teams (physicians and/or physiotherapists) and/or by the local organising committee physicians. Specifically, the instructions were to report 'all musculoskeletal injuries (traumatic and overuse)...