The Sportscomp Erasmus+ Project: Higher Education to Improve Competency in Sports Physiotherapy.

One of the most important milestones of the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPT), a specialty group of the World Physiotherapy (WP) group, was the creation of the Sports Physiotherapy Competencies and Standards document. This statement, finalized by an international panel of experts almost twenty years ago, under The European Union-funded Sports Physiotherapy for All (SPA) project, describes effective professional behaviours and integrates specific knowledge, skills and attitudes in the context of practice. These competencies provide a basis for policy development, enable quality assurance activities and facilitate individual professional development.

What is the Injury Incidence and Profile in Professional Male Ice Hockey? A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Professional male ice hockey is characterized by a congested in-season match schedule and by different scenarios where the whole body is exposed to great internal and external forces. Consequently, injuries occur from head to toe. However, there is a lack of data synthesis regarding the injury incidence and profile in this population. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to quantify the injury incidence rates in professional male ice hockey. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic Review. METHODS: The electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, ProQuest-Sport medicine & Education Index, and Pro-Quest Dissertation and Thesis were searched utilizing terms related to ice hockey and injuries. Studies were included if they provided the incidence of injury in professional male hockey players and reported injuries in terms of time lost. The modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale for cohort studies and the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology - Sports Injury and Illness Surveillance Statement were used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in the review. Match injury incidence ranged from 38 to 88.6 injuries/1000 hours of exposure, whereas training injury incidence varied from 0.4 to 2.6 injuries/1000 hours of exposure. Injuries of traumatic origin accounted for 76% to 96.6% of all injuries, with contusions and lacerations being the most common. Severe injuries accounted for 7.8% - 20% of all injuries. The lower extremities were the most susceptible to injury, comprising 27% to 53.7% of all reported injuries. CONCLUSION: Professional male ice hockey players are exposed to a substantial risk of injury during competitions, with lower extremities being the most commonly affected body part. The majority of injuries are traumatic and severe injuries account for a notable portion of overall injury cases.

Sports injury prevention programmes from the sports physical therapist's perspective: An international expert Delphi approach.

OBJECTIVE: To provide consensus on how to plan, organize and implement exercise-based injury prevention program (IPP) in sports. DESIGN: Delphi. SETTING: LimeSurvey platform. PARTICIPANTS: Experienced sports physical therapists from the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy member countries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Factors related to sports IPP planning, organization and implementation. RESULTS: We included 305 participants from 32 countries. IPP planning should be based on an athlete's injury history, on pre-season screening results, and on injury rates (respectively, 98%, 92%, 89% agreement). In total 97% participants agreed that IPP organization should depend on the athlete's age, 93% on the competition level, and 93% on the availability of low-cost materials. It was agreed that IPP should mainly be implemented in warm-up sessions delivered by the head or strength/conditioning coach, with physical training sessions and individual physical therapy sessions (respectively, 94%, 92%, 90% agreement). CONCLUSION: Strong consensus was reached on (1) IPP based on the athlete's injury history, pre-season screening and evidence-based sports-specific injury rates; (2) IPP organization based on the athlete's age, competition level, and the availability of low-cost materials and (3) IPP implementation focussing on warm-up sessions implemented by the strength/conditioning coach, and/or individual prevention sessions by the physical therapist.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Italian version of the anterior cruciate ligament-return to sport after injury (ACL-RSI) scale.

PURPOSE: To translate and culturally adapt the anterior cruciate ligament-return to sport after injury (ACL-RSI) scale into Italian (ACL-RSI(IT)) and examine and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version in individuals who have undergone anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. METHODS: The ACL-RSI was forward and back translated, culturally adapted and validated one hundred and twenty nine Italian individuals who had undergone ACL reconstruction (94 males, 35 females; age 28 ± 9 years). All patients completed the translated ACL-RSI, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), International Knee Documentation Committee subjective knee form (IKDC), Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK) and the 12-item short form health survey (SF-12). We then analysed the internal consistency, reliability and validity of the newly formed ACLRSI (IT). RESULTS: The ACL- RSI(IT) showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.94) and was significantly correlated with the KOOS 'quality of life' (r = 0.61, p < 0.00001), 'symptoms' (r = 0.34, p < 0.00001), 'pain' (r = 0.44, p < 0.00001), and 'sports' (r = 0.40, p < 0.00001) subscales. The ACL-RSI(IT) also correlated significantly with the IKDC (r = 0.34, p < 0.001), TSK (r = - 0.48, p < 0.00001) and SF-12 (r = - 0.40, p < 0.0001) scores. CONCLUSION: The Italian version of the ACL-RSI scale was valid, discriminant, consistent and reliable in patients who had undergone ACL reconstruction. This score could be useful to evaluate the effect of psychological factors on return to sport following ACL surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

The Relationship between Kinesiophobia and Return to Sport after Shoulder Surgery for Recurrent Anterior Instability.

Purpose To evaluate the relationship between kinesiophobia and patient's return to sport after shoulder stabilization surgery. The hypothesis was that kinesiophobia represents an independent factor correlated to the difference between preinjury and postoperative level of sport. Methods This study retrospectively evaluated 66 patients (mean age: 35.5, standard deviation [SD] = 9.9 years) and at a mean follow-up of 61.1 (SD = 37.5) months after arthroscopic Bankart's repair or open Bristow-Latarjet procedure. Kinesiophobia was assessed with the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK); return to the preinjury sport was assessed by the difference between baseline and postoperative degree of shoulder involvement in sport (D-DOSIS) scale. The Western Ontario Shoulder Instability index (WOSI) was used to evaluate participants' perceptions of shoulder function. Results TSK showed correlation with D-DOSIS ( ρ = 0.505, p < 0.001) and the WOSI score ( ρ = 0.589, p < 0.001). There was significant difference in TSK and WOSI scores between participants who had and had not returned to their previous level of sport participation ( p = 0.006, and 0.0001, respectively). Conclusion This study demonstrated that kinesiophobia is correlated to the return to sport after shoulder stabilization surgery. Level of Evidence Level IV, retrospective case series.

Psychometric properties of three different scales for subjective evaluation of shoulder pain and dysfunction in Italian patients after shoulder surgery for anterior instability.

BACKGROUND: The Italian versions of Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), Simple Shoulder Test (SST), and University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Shoulder Rating Scale have been validated to assess shoulder dysfunction in patients treated for neck cancer. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the Italian versions of the SPADI, SST, and UCLA in patients after shoulder surgery for anterior instability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population included 98 patients. Patients completed the Italian SPADI, SST, and UCLA, and Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form, Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Reproducibility was assessed by asking patients to complete another UCLA, SPADI, and SST 48 hours after the first. Validity was assessed by calculating the correlation between the SPADI, SST, and UCLA and the WOSI, ASES, OSS, and the SF-36 Physical Health subscales. RESULTS: The internal consistencies of the SPADI (α = 0.97) and the SST (α = 0.87) were very high. The test-retest reliability was excellent with intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.97 for the SPADI, 0.93 for UCLA pain, 0.95 for UCLA function, and 0.97 for the SST. A significant correlation was found between the Italian SPADI, SST, and UCLA and the WOSI, the ASES and the OSS. DISCUSSION: Psychometric properties of the Italian SPADI, SST, and UCLA compared well with those reported for the original versions, supporting their use as reliable clinimetric instruments in the setting of shoulder disorders after surgery for recurrent anterior instability.

The Degree of Shoulder Involvement in Sports (DOSIS) scale is a valid and responsive instrumentation for shoulder assessment in patients after surgery for anterior instability.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate validity and responsiveness of the Degree of Shoulder Involvement in Sport (DOSIS) scale. METHODS: A web-based survey was developed to test the construct validity of the DOSIS scale. Fifty-three patients with a median age of 33 years (range 17-59) were included in the study. Convergent validity was evaluated by external correlation (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, r) of the DOSIS with the Brophy-Marx and Tegner activity scales, the Western Ontario shoulder instability index (WOSI), the Simple Shoulder Test (SST), and the Short-Form 36 (SF-36). Responsiveness was analysed by relative efficiency calculation of the DOSIS versus the Brophy-Marx and Tegner activity scales. RESULTS: The DOSIS showed strong correlation with the Brophy-Marx and Tegner activity scales, a moderate correlation with the WOSI and SST scores, and a moderate correlation with the physical functioning, role physical and role emotional subscores of the SF-36. The distribution of the DOSIS scores had no serious ceiling or floor effects. The DOSIS demonstrated lesser responsiveness when compared to the Brophy-Marx and Tegner activity scales. CONCLUSION: The DOSIS showed an adequate validity and responsiveness. The clinical relevance of this study is that the DOSIS scale can be used for sport-specific shoulder assessment in patients after surgery for anterior instability. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

I.S.Mu.L.T. first-time patellar dislocation guidelines.

Primary traumatic patellar dislocation is common, particularly in young active individuals. A consensus on its management is still lacking. The present work provides easily accessible guidelines to be considered as recommendations for a good clinical practice developed through a process of systematic review of the literature and expert opinion, to improve the quality of care and rationalize the use of resources. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Ia.

Muscle Injuries: A Brief Guide to Classification and Management.

Muscle injuries are frequent in athletes. Despite their high incidence, advances in clinical diagnostic criteria and imaging, their optimal management and rehabilitation strategies are still debated in literature. Furthermore, reinjury rate is high after a muscle lesion, and an improper treatment or an early return to sports can increase the rate of reinjury and complications. Most muscle injuries are managed conservatively with excellent results, and surgery is normally advocated only for larger tears. This article reviews the current literature to provide physicians and rehabilitation specialists with the necessary basic tools to diagnose, classify and to treat muscle injuries. Based on anatomy, biomechanics, and imaging features of muscle injury, the use of a recently reported new classification system is also advocated.

ISMuLT Guidelines for muscle injuries.

Muscle injuries are frequent in high demand sports. No guidelines are available in the scientific literature. ISMuLT, the "Italian Society of Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons", in line with its multidisciplinary mission, is proud to cover this gap.