Musculoskeletal Injury in Paddle Sport Athletes.

INTRODUCTION: Kayak racing has been an Olympic sport since 1936. The sport is evolving with the introduction of ocean skis and stand-up-paddle boards (SUP). Musculoskeletal injury incidence surveys have been conducted for ultra-marathon events, but no data have been published for other racing formats. OBJECTIVE: To identify and compare the rates and types of injuries sustained by paddling athletes as a function of discipline and training parameters in Sprint, Marathon, Ultra-Marathon, and Ocean events. METHODS: Competitors from 6 kayak and/or ocean surf-ski races in Australia were surveyed. Before each race, competitors were asked to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire investigated paddling-related injuries over the previous 5 years, athlete morphology, flexibility, equipment and its setup, training volume, and environment. RESULTS: Five hundred eighty-three competitors were surveyed. Disciplines included 173 racing-kayak (K1), 202 touring-kayak, 146 ocean-skis, 42 SUP, and 20 other. The top 5 paddling-related injuries were shoulder (31%), low back (23.5%), wrist (16.5%), neck (13.7%), and elbow (11.0%). The highest percentage of injury was found in K1 paddlers for shoulder (40.5%), SUP for low back (33.3%), and ocean-ski for wrist (22.6%). After controlling for on-water training hours, the relative risk (RR) of wrist injury was significantly increased in ocean-ski paddlers (1.86) and in paddlers with decreased flexibility (1.53-1.83). Relative risk of shoulder and low-back injury was significantly increased in athletes with lower training volumes (1.82-2.07). Younger athletes had lower RR of wrist and shoulder injury (0.58-0.62).

An in vivo comparison of the orientation of the transverse acetabular ligament and the acetabulum.

Aligning the acetabular component with the Transverse Acetabular Ligament (TAL) to ensure optimal anteversion has been reported to reduce dislocation rates. However, to our knowledge in vivo measurement of the TAL angle has not yet been reported in a large cohort of normal hips. CT scans of 218 normal hips were analyzed. The TAL and four acetabular rim anteversion angles were measured (superiorly to inferiorly) relative to the anterior pelvic plane. The mean TAL anteversion angle was 20.5° ± 7.0°, and the acetabular rim angles from superior to inferior were 11.0° ± 12.9°, 19.9° ± 8.8°, 20.9° ± 6.2° and 25.1° ± 6.2° respectively. Both the TAL and the acetabular rim were significantly more anteverted in females than in males. The TAL anteversion angle was comparable to the predominant orientation (central rim section) of the native acetabulum while the superior acetabulum was comparatively retroverted and the inferior was relatively more anteverted.