Characteristics and reported injuries of recreational and competitive archers

BACKGROUND

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe basic characteristics of archery athletes and examine injuries reported among archers of a variety of demographic and experience levels.

METHODS

Participants at various archery competitions were asked to complete a 27-item survey that included demographics, bow type, archery experience, archery training patterns and volume, and injury incidence and anatomical location.

RESULTS

Two hundred and thirty-four complete surveys were included in the analysis. No significant differences were noted between archery experience groups for age, height, weight, or draw length. A significant difference for draw weight was noted between beginners and advanced level (P=0.045) and between intermediate and advanced archers (P=0.013). Expert level archers reported participating in archery the most days per week (4.9±1.6) and months per year (11.6±0.9) out of all experience levels. Archers using recurve bow types reported more injuries (54 in total) than archers using compound bows (that were 47). The highest percentage of injuries due to archery was found at the expert/professional level with 50% of that group acquiring an injury. The shoulder was the most reported anatomical site of injury (with a total of 69 cases) followed by the back (30 cases) and elbow (19 in total).

CONCLUSIONS

Injury rates in archery are comparable to other sports such as golf and tennis, thus establishing archery as a sport with legitimate risks to athletes. Also, there are several factors within the sport that predispose participants to injury. It is crucial that participants are informed of these risks and that appropriate training and equipment decisions are made to optimize the reduction of injury prevalence.

Screening by Self-Report Underestimates Sickle Cell Trait in High-School Athletes

Background: Sickle cell trait (SCT) has received attention as a cause of death in college athletes, leading to mandatory lab SCT screening in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes. High-school athletes are commonly screened by self-report. There are no known studies for evaluating whether this method is effective as a screening tool.

Hypothesis: The local prevalence rate of SCT as self-reported on the preparticipation evaluation (PPE) forms would be lower than the national accepted average.

Methods: PPE forms from the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation of the University of Florida (UF) were reviewed between January 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018. The Florida High School PPE form includes a yes/no question to assess the diagnosis of SCT. The prevalence established by self-report was then compared with the national prevalence for SCT in the comparable race/ethnicity groups reported by the CDC. The response rate of SCT questions was also compared to other common cardiac screening questions.

Results: A total of 401 forms were reviewed. Six (1.5%) students answered “yes,” 351 answered “no,” and 44 left the SCT question blank. All six athletes who self-reported “yes” were Black and made up 3.7% of the 162 known Black respondents. This self-report rate for Black/African Americans was well below the expected 7.3% described by the CDC. Response rates were also lower than the comparable cardiac screening questions.

Conclusions: Self-report SCT status rates are lower than the accepted prevalence in a similar population. Significant inconsistencies in reporting were also determined.

Clinical relevance: This is a rare study to evaluate the self-reported prevalence of SCT in high-school athletes. Below average reporting of SCT and inconsistency in completion of the forms increase the concern for accuracy and effectiveness of current high-school SCT screening methods relying on self-report.