Epidemiology of patients with anterior cruciate ligament injuries undergoing reconstruction surgery in a multi-ethnic Asian population

The netball injury evidence base: a scoping review of methodologies and recommendations for future approaches

BACKGROUND

Netball is a sport with a large participation base and a high risk of injuries. Effective injury prevention strategies are dependent upon a clear understanding of injury issues, aetiology and mechanisms, requiring robust research methodologies to ensure a reliable evidence base. This scoping review aims to identify the characteristics and range of netball injury research methodologies, to inform recommendations for future research.

METHODS

A systematic search of SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Academic Search Complete, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, from 1985 to May 2023 identified relevant studies. Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed studies assessing injury incidence, aetiology and mechanisms in netball.

RESULTS

Following screening, 65 studies were included (68% descriptive epidemiology, 32% analytic epidemiology). Descriptive epidemiology reported data from hospital/clinic and insurance databases (57%) and netball competitions (43%). Only two studies used ongoing, systematic injury surveillance in netball cohorts, and significant heterogeneity existed in study designs, data collection methods, injury definitions and injury incidence rates calculations. Studies assessed a limited number of risk factors (descriptive competition studies: median: n = 4; analytic studies median: n = 6), with 76% using a simplistic reductionist approach to determine causality. Basic descriptions and retrospective recall of injury mechanisms reduced accuracy. Only two studies conducted comprehensive assessments of injury mechanisms using video-based methods.

CONCLUSION

To establish an accurate netball injury evidence base, future research should prioritise the development of reliable, continuous surveillance systems. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement guidelines are recommended for accurate injury data collection and reporting. A multifactorial approach should be adopted to assess the complex interaction between multiple risk factors, player load and the injury inciting event. Comprehensive descriptions of injury mechanisms using video methods, alongside descriptions from medical staff are recommended. This information is crucial for developing targeted prevention strategies.

Comparison between the effect of immersive virtual reality training versus conventional rehabilitation on limb loading and functional outcomes in patients after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A prospective randomized controlled trial

Purpose

Anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) commonly occurs during sporting events. It causes pain, instability and reduction in range of movement of the knee which results in altered balance, reduced strength as well as loading to the involved knee. The challenge to get the patient back to competitive sports level much depends on the rehabilitation process. Post ACLR rehabilitation is challenging due to the long rehabilitation time as well as boring repetitive exercises. The aim of this study is to compare between the effectiveness of using immersive virtual reality (PlayStation VR) in addition to the conventional rehabilitation as an aid in rehabilitation of patients after ACLR in terms of objective functional assessment and pain and subjective knee function scoring.

Methods

This randomised controlled trial was undertaken in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia from July 2019 until July 2020. Thirty patients were randomised into a group undergoing purely conventional rehabilitation (Group 1) and a group undergoing both conventional rehabilitation and immersive virtual reality assisted rehabilitation (Group 2). The immersive virtual reality assisted rehabilitation was started at 3 months post operatively for 3 months duration. Limb loading, balance, range of motion, functional hop tests of the knee, pain and subjective scoring of the knee with the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Scores were measured preoperatively and at 6 months.

Results

There were significant differences in terms of improvement of pain scores (p = 0.012) as well as IKDC Scores (p = 0.024) in Group 2 as compared to Group 1. However, there were no significant differences with regards to limb loading, balance, range of motion and functional hop tests of the knee (p > 0.05). No adverse events were observed during the study period.

Conclusion

Immersive virtual reality can be used as an adjunct in rehabilitation of patients after ACL reconstruction in terms of improving their pain as well as their subjective knee evaluation. Large randomised control trial is recommended to further investigate the efficacy.

Demographic characteristics of patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at a tertiary care hospital in India

BACKGROUND

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common sports-related injuries. Their incidence is not the same either for all the sports or for the same sport across various nations. This information is maintained by many sports leagues in their registries. However, very few nationwide registries exist for such injuries. This study is carried out to know the demographic characteristics of patients who underwent ACL reconstruction at our hospital in India.

AIM

To know the demographic characteristics of patients who underwent ACL reconstruction at a tertiary care hospital in India.

METHODS

All the patients who underwent ACL reconstruction from January 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively studied. Patients with multi-ligament injuries or a history of previous knee surgery were excluded. The patients’ history was obtained from the hospital records, they were interviewed telephonically, and online questionnaires were given. Their demographic data was analyzed and compared to the existing literature.

RESULTS

A total of 124 patients were operated on for ACL reconstruction during this period. The mean age of the patients was 27.97 years. One hundred and thirteen patients (91.1%) were male and 11 (8.9%) were female. The majority of the patients (47.6%) sustained this injury by road traffic accidents (RTA) followed by sports-related injuries (39.5%). The commonest presenting complaint was giving way of the knee in 118 patients (95.2%). The mean duration from the injury to the first hospital visit among the patients was 290.1 d. The mean duration from the injury to surgery was 421.8 d.

CONCLUSION

ACL patients’ demography is different in developing nations as compared to the developed world. RTA are the leading cause of ACL injuries and are followed by recreational sports as a cause. There is delayed access to healthcare leading to delayed diagnosis as well as even greater time to surgery. This, in turn, leads to poorer prognosis and longer rehabilitation. National registries for developing nations are the need of the hour due to the different demographics of ACL injuries in developing countries.

ANALYSIS AND INTERVENTIONS OF COMMON SPORTS INJURIES IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYERS

ABSTRACT Introduction As college basketball continues to develop, more and more college students are joining the sport, and the resulting sports injuries have also gradually increased, affecting the quality of life and academic performance. Objective Analyze the most common sports injuries and offer solutions for the safe practice of college basketball. Methods This article studies, through interviews and literature review, the basketball injuries of college students, analyze the main causes of sports injuries, and presents corresponding countermeasures to promote the safe development of sports education in colleges. Results The main injuries were during training, excessive force, and inadequate preparation. Deficient muscle work is also associated with most of these injuries. Conclusion Basketball is highly competitive and popular on college campuses. It is a sport that can exercise and enrich the extracurricular life of college students, requiring from its practitioners greater attention in the pre-training warm-up phase and parallel muscle strengthening to reduce its major injuries in college students. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes

Risk Factors for New Meniscal Tears following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

This study aims to compare the rate of meniscal tears after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in patients who have undergone concomitant meniscal repair during the index procedure with that in patients who have not undergone such surgery. It also evaluates other risk factors, such as age, gender, race, body mass index (BMI), site of concomitant meniscal surgery, and ACL graft failure. This is a retrospective study conducted at a large tertiary public hospital. Patients who underwent primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) surgery with or without concomitant meniscal repair from 2011 to 2016 were identified. Patients with old meniscal tears and previous meniscal surgeries were excluded. The aforementioned demographical, injury, and surgical details were obtained and analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Our study cohort included 754 patients. Primary ACLR surgery was performed with meniscal repair in 172 (22.8%) of the patients, with meniscectomy in 202 (26.8%) of the patients, and without concomitant meniscal surgery in 380 (50.4%) of the patients. A total of 81 (10.7%) patients developed meniscal tears after the index procedure. Such tears occurred in 12.2% (21 of 172) of the patients who had undergone concomitant meniscal repair during the index ACLR, and in 10.3% (60 of 582) of the patients who had not undergone concomitant meniscal repair (p = 0.30). On multivariate analysis, only ACL graft failure was significantly associated with new meniscal tears (p < 0.001, odds ratio 18.69, 95% confidence interval 9.18-38.05). ACL graft failure is the only independent risk factor for meniscal tears after ACLR surgery in our large cohort of patients. Concomitant meniscal repair was not an associated risk factor.

The Applied Sports Science and Medicine of Netball: A Systematic Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Netball is the one of the most popular women's sports in the world. Since gaining professional status in 2008 there has been a rapid growth in research in the applied sports science and medicine of the sport. A scoping review of the area would provide practitioners and researchers with an overview of the current scientific literature to support on-court performance, player welfare and reduce injury.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective was to identify the current research on the applied sports science and medicine of netball. Additionally, the article provides a brief summary of the research in each topic of sports science and medicine in netball and identifies gaps in the current research.

METHODS

Systematic searches of PubMed, SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE and CINAHL were undertaken from earliest record to Dec 2020 and reference lists were manually searched. The PRISMA-ScR protocol was followed. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they investigated netball as a sport or the applied sport science and medicine of netball athletes.

RESULTS

962 studies were identified in the initial search, 150 of which met the inclusion criteria. Injury was the most highly investigated sport science and medicine topic (n = 45), followed by physical qualities (n = 37), match characteristics (n = 24), biomechanics (n = 15), psychology (n = 13), fatigue and recovery (n = 9), training load (n = 4) and nutrition (n = 3). A range of cohorts were used from school to elite and international standards. All cohorts were female netballers, except for one study. A rapid growth in studies over recent years was demonstrated with 65% of studies published in the last decade. There still remains gaps in the literature, with a low evidence base for nutrition, training load and fatigue and recovery.

CONCLUSION

This scoping review summarises the current evidence base and key findings that can be used in practice to enhance the applied sport science and medical support to netball athletes across a range of playing standards, and support the growth of the sport. It is evident that netball as a sport is still under-researched.

Prevalence of concomitant knee injuries associated with anterior cruciate ligament tear in kabaddi and football players

BACKGROUND

There is little literature available about the type of sports and concomitant knee injury.

THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

To help in better prediction of concomitant knee injuries in football and kabaddi players.

MATERIAL METHOD

Five hundred and seventeen male athletes [Football (n = 226) and Kabaddi players (n = 291)] aged between 16 and 35 years were enrolled in the study. These were categorized into five groups depending upon the time interval between injury and surgery (0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months, 12-18 months and 18-24 months). Meniscal and chondral damage present at the time of ACL reconstruction was documented.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of meniscal tear was more in kabaddi players (220/291) as compared to football players (144/226; p = 0.003). The incidence of both menisci tear was more in kabaddi as compared to football (p = 0.02). Incidence of lateral meniscus tear (147/291) in kabaddi was more as compared to football (84/226; p = 0.002). The incidence of condylar damage was comparable in both groups. Medial femoral condyle was more commonly injured in both the sports irrespective of time frame.

CONCLUSION

The chances of meniscus injuries were more in kabaddi players compared to football players in ACL deficient knee. The time interval between injury and surgery had a direct correlation with meniscus and chondral injuries.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, retrospective study.

Relationship between electromyographic activity of knee joint muscles with vertical and posterior ground reaction forces in anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed patients during a single leg vertical drop landing task

The objective of the present study is to examine the relation between activity patterns of knee joint muscles with vertical and posterior ground reaction forces (VGRF and PGRF, respectively) in patients after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Twenty males post-ACLR participated in this cross-sectional study. The association between muscle activity with VGRF and PGRF was assessed during a single leg vertical drop-landing task. There were strong negative associations between preparatory VL, VM and MG activity and PGRF (P< 0.05). Strong positive associations were found between reactive VM and LH activity with PGRF (P< 0.05). Preparatory co-activation of VM: MH had significant negative associations with VGRF (P< 0.05) and reactive co-activation of VL:LH had a significant positive relation with PGRF(P< 0.05). Greater preparatory activity and co-activation of knee muscles were associated with lower peak PGRF and VGRF, whereas greater reactive activity and co-activation of knee muscles was associated with greater peak PGRF and VGRF. According to our findings, both activity and co-activation of knee muscles during the preparatory phase were associated with reduced PGRF and VGRF, respectively in ACLR patients; thus, incorporating exercises in order to increase preparatory activity and co-activation of knee joint muscles into rehabilitation programs in ACLR patients seems necessary.