Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Category
STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)
Abstract/Artist Statement
Title: Common Lower Extremity Injury Sites Among Service Members and Combat Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review
Luke McCarthy, Tyler Hansen, Shane Murphy
Purpose: Athletic training services continue to expand into nontraditional settings, with a substantial growth in treating military service members and combat sport athletes (e.g., tae kwon do, MMA, karate). Although more athletic trainers are asked to work with these populations, location and frequency of injuries within these populations is not widely disseminated in athletic training education curriculum. This systematic review was conducted to discover if common injury sites exist between service members and combat sport athletes. We hypothesized that the two cohorts shared many common injury sites, though the mechanism of injury would likely be different.
Methods: A systematic review of studies between 2008 and 2020 were examined via PubMed in October of 2020. Key words used in the search include population (e.g. military OR martial arts OR MMA), anatomical area (e.g., lower extremity OR LE), and injury occurrence rate; returning 76 articles. Two independent reviewers utilized a PRISMA flowchart to select the articles to be included in the final analysis. The level of evidence was initially assessed for all included articles, with no uncontrolled cohort studies, case series, or expert opinions being included in the final analysis. Studies that did not identify injury sites were excluded, with only studies providing lower extremity injury site and frequency being selected. Injury site and frequency were extracted from articles focusing on either service members or combat sport athletes.
Originality: This research is novel, in that it provides athletic trainers in these emerging settings the ability to forecast what injuries they are most likely to encounter, given the setting (e.g., training, competition, and combat). Each of these settings, as well as the age and skill level of the athletes involves different injury types (chronic versus acute). During the systematic review, there were no articles found comparing military service members and combat sport athletes.
Significances: As more athletic trainers begin working in these emerging settings, knowledge about how each cohort sustains their injuries will be important. Being able to treat injuries when they occur, as well as prevent injuries from happening, will reduce the amount of time lost to rehabilitation. This increased time in rehabilitation translates to increased medical costs and strain on our healthcare system as a whole. Preventing injuries will reduce medical spending both for the individual athletes and for the federal/state government, in the case of service members. Service members and combat sport athletes sustain lower extremity injuries at both the ankle and knee; however, they differ in general mechanism. Due to the stresses of prolonged load carriage versus forceful striking, clinicians will face unique challenges working with either population. By understanding the environment service members and combat athletes are operating in, athletic trainers can have necessary supplies on hand for treatment of acute injuries, as well as plans to rehabilitate chronic injuries. Future research should focus on methods of reducing acute injuries in combat sports and more effective chronic injury prevention among service members.
Mentor Name
Shane Murphy
Poster Presentation
Common Lower Extremity Injury Sites Among Service Members and Combat Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review
Title: Common Lower Extremity Injury Sites Among Service Members and Combat Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review
Luke McCarthy, Tyler Hansen, Shane Murphy
Purpose: Athletic training services continue to expand into nontraditional settings, with a substantial growth in treating military service members and combat sport athletes (e.g., tae kwon do, MMA, karate). Although more athletic trainers are asked to work with these populations, location and frequency of injuries within these populations is not widely disseminated in athletic training education curriculum. This systematic review was conducted to discover if common injury sites exist between service members and combat sport athletes. We hypothesized that the two cohorts shared many common injury sites, though the mechanism of injury would likely be different.
Methods: A systematic review of studies between 2008 and 2020 were examined via PubMed in October of 2020. Key words used in the search include population (e.g. military OR martial arts OR MMA), anatomical area (e.g., lower extremity OR LE), and injury occurrence rate; returning 76 articles. Two independent reviewers utilized a PRISMA flowchart to select the articles to be included in the final analysis. The level of evidence was initially assessed for all included articles, with no uncontrolled cohort studies, case series, or expert opinions being included in the final analysis. Studies that did not identify injury sites were excluded, with only studies providing lower extremity injury site and frequency being selected. Injury site and frequency were extracted from articles focusing on either service members or combat sport athletes.
Originality: This research is novel, in that it provides athletic trainers in these emerging settings the ability to forecast what injuries they are most likely to encounter, given the setting (e.g., training, competition, and combat). Each of these settings, as well as the age and skill level of the athletes involves different injury types (chronic versus acute). During the systematic review, there were no articles found comparing military service members and combat sport athletes.
Significances: As more athletic trainers begin working in these emerging settings, knowledge about how each cohort sustains their injuries will be important. Being able to treat injuries when they occur, as well as prevent injuries from happening, will reduce the amount of time lost to rehabilitation. This increased time in rehabilitation translates to increased medical costs and strain on our healthcare system as a whole. Preventing injuries will reduce medical spending both for the individual athletes and for the federal/state government, in the case of service members. Service members and combat sport athletes sustain lower extremity injuries at both the ankle and knee; however, they differ in general mechanism. Due to the stresses of prolonged load carriage versus forceful striking, clinicians will face unique challenges working with either population. By understanding the environment service members and combat athletes are operating in, athletic trainers can have necessary supplies on hand for treatment of acute injuries, as well as plans to rehabilitate chronic injuries. Future research should focus on methods of reducing acute injuries in combat sports and more effective chronic injury prevention among service members.