Fractures in professional footballers: 7-years data from 106 team seasons in the Middle East.

Epidemiological studies on fractures in European professional football (soccer) are in abundance. However, such data are lacking in Middle Eastern professional footballers and information on fracture treatment is scarce. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of fractures across seven seasons in Qatar Stars League (QSL) footballers. A prospective study of fractures in professional male footballers over 7 consecutive seasons (2013 to 2020), involving 3255 players and 106 team' seasons. Time loss and injuries and illnesses were recorded using standardised digital tools in accordance with international consensus procedures. Fractures were recorded according to onset mechanism, location, diagnoses, treatment and return to play. A total of 108 players sustained fractures during 638,247 hours of player exposure (88.9% training and 11.1% matches), representing 2.7% of all time-loss injuries. The incidence was 0.17 fractures per 1000 h of exposure (match and training incidence of 0.9 and 0.07 fractures / 1000 h, respectively), equivalent to an average of one fracture per team per season. Fractures mostly occurred in the feet (28.2%), hands (21.1%), shoulders (11.3%) and head (i.e., face) (9.9%). Mean (median) absence was 71 (47 days), with 4.6% refractures. Only 34.3% of the fractures required surgery and nearly all players (98.1%) returned to play at the professional level. Almost all professional football players with fractures return to play at the same competitive level after an average of 10 weeks of absence (mean absence was 71 ± 81 (median: 47, Inter Quartile Range [14-93]) days). One in ten continue to play with symptoms and one in twenty may refracture. Long-term effects of fractures are still unknown.

Remote assessment in sport and exercise medicine (SEM): a narrative review and teleSEM solutions for and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic forces sport and exercise medicine (SEM) physicians to think differently about the clinical care of patients. Many rapidly implement eHealth and telemedicine solutions specific to SEM without guidance on how best to provide these services. AIM: The aim of this paper is to present some guiding principles on how to plan for and perform an SEM consultation remotely (teleSEM) based on a narrative review of the literature. A secondary aim is to develop a generic teleSEM injury template. RESULTS: eHealth and telemedicine are essential solutions to effective remote patient care, also in SEM. This paper provides guidance for wise planning and delivery of teleSEM. It is crucial for SEM physicians, technology providers and organisations to codesign teleSEM services, ideally involving athletes, coaches and other clinicians involved in the clinical care of athletes, and to gradually implement these services with appropriate support and education. CONCLUSION: teleSEM provides solutions for remote athlete clinical care during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We define two new terms-eSEM and teleSEM and discuss guiding principles on how to plan for and perform SEM consultations remotely (teleSEM). We provide an example of a generic teleSEM injury assessment guide.

Illness at a Para Athletics Track and Field World Championships under Hot and Humid Ambient Conditions.

BACKGROUND: Heat-related illness, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, is seen as a major risk for athletes with a physical impairment. OBJECTIVE: Primary: To survey the illness statistics during the 2015 Para Athletics World Championships and report on any cases of significant heat-related illnesses. Secondary: To document the heat countermeasures taken on behalf of the organizing committee. DESIGN: Retrospective audit. SETTING: Medical records collected at medical centers during the 2015 Para Athletics World Championships. PARTICIPANTS: Athletes participating in the 2015 Para Athletics World Championships. METHODS: Illness statistics and records of hospitalizations of athletes participating in the championships were recorded by the medical officials during the precompetition (3 days) and competition (10 days) periods. Furthermore, wet-bulb globe temperatures (WBGTs) were measured at the competition venues. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Incidence rates of illness during the precompetition and competition periods. RESULTS: WBGTs ranged from 24.6°C to 36.0°C, regularly exceeding the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) guidelines for cancelation in the morning both during the competition (ACSM, 52%; IAAF, 97%) and precompetition periods (ACSM, 75%; IAAF, 100%). These guidelines were not exceeded as regularly during the evening and noon for both the precompetition and competition periods (ACSM, 0%-5%; IAAF, 0%-58%). The illness incidence rate was 2.89 per 1000 athlete-days (incidence proportion = 3.76%; confidence interval = 2.69%-4.83%). Only seven cases of heat-related illness were recorded, of which three required hospitalization. CONCLUSION: This study indicates low rates of illness, including hospitalization and intravenous administration for heat-related illness among athletes participating in the 2015 Para Athletics World Championships. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.