Acute XXXX in Track and Field Athletes: A 3-Year Observational Study at the Penn Relays Carnival With Epidemiology and Medical Coverage Implications.

@entity130 @entity1 @entity131 @entity4858
BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined @entity131 in track and field in both elite and subelite athletes. PURPOSE: To observe the absolute number and relative rates of @entity4858 across a wide range of competition levels and ages during 3 years of the Penn Relays Carnival to assist with future medical coverage planning and injury prevention strategies. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: Over a 3-year period, all injuries treated by the medical staff were recorded on a standardized injury report form. Absolute number of @entity130 rates (number of injuries per 1000 competing athletes) were determined and odds ratios (ORs) of injury rates were calculated between sexes, competition levels, and events. @entity130 were also broken down into major or minor medical or orthopaedic injuries. RESULTS: Throughout the study period, 48,473 competing athletes participated in the Penn Relays Carnival, and 436 injuries were sustained. For medical coverage purposes, the relative rate of injury subtypes was greatest for @entity130 (5.71 injuries per 1000 @entity1 ), followed by minor medical injuries (3.42 injuries per 1000 @entity1 ), major medical injuries (0.69 injuries per 1000 @entity1 ), and major orthopaedic injuries (0.18 injuries per 1000 @entity1 ). College/elite athletes displayed the @entity130 rate (7.99 injuries per 1000 @entity1 ), which was significantly less than that of high school (9.87 injuries per 1000 @entity1 ) and masters athletes (16.33 injuries per 1000 @entity1 ). Male athletes displayed a greater likelihood of having a minor @entity130 compared with female athletes (OR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.06-1.75];   (2) = 5.73; P = .017) but were less likely to sustain a major @entity130 (OR, 0.33 [95% CI, 0.15-0.75];   (2) = 7.75; P = .005). Of the 3 most heavily participated in events, the 4 * 400-m relay displayed the greatest relative injury rate (13.6 injuries per 1000 @entity1 ) compared with the 4 * 100-m and 4 * 200-m relays. CONCLUSION: Medical coverage teams for future large-scale track and field events need to plan for at least 2 major orthopaedic and 7 major medical injuries per 10,000 @entity1 . Male track and field athletes, particularly masters male athletes, are at greater risk of injury compared with other sexes and competition levels.
