Musculo-skeletal sport injuries in Trinidad & Tobago - abstract

ABSTRACT

It is well-known fact that exercise is an essential activity in order to maintain a healthy life style. However, the benefits of exercise may be minimized if the risk of injury is high. This 2-year retrospective study analyzed the risk of injury from sporting events in our community. One thousand, nine hundred and eighty-six elective and emergency referrals in our Orthopaedic Unit over this period were studied. Of 1,410 emergency referrals 846 (60 percent) were musculo-skeletal injuries resulting from sporting activities. Among 576 clinic referrals 192 (33 percent) were musculo-skeletal sporting injuries. The risk of injury was found to be 60 percent. Most of the injuries (50 percent) resulted from soccer and occurred in the over 35 years age group. A significant number of these injuries (25 percent) were of such severity as to cause hospitalization and job absence for over 3 weeks. Contributory risk factors found were age, physical fitness, alcohol abuse, the presence of chronic injury, inappropriate footwear, inadequate protective geat and non-compliance with the rules and regulations of the sport (AU)