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Research project Prevention of overuse injuries in elite Swedish athletics

Research project
Active research
Project owner
Center for Health and Performance at the Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science at Gothenburg University, Sweden

Short description

This research projects overall aim is to prevent overuse injuries elite Swedish athletics. Previous research have shown that besides acute injuries it is mainly overuse injuries that is the cause leading to limitations in training among elite athletics athletes.

Athletes are enrolled in the project for one athletics season to estimate the injury proportion in the cohort. At enrollment all athletes undergo a baseline screening consisting of a clinical examination (to ensure they are injury free), running analysis and a strength tests. In contrast to previous research where the athletes self-report their injuries the project uses a medical doctor and a physiotherapist to ensure a clear diagnosis.

The purpose of this research project is to contribute with knowledge to reduce the number of overuse injuries among elite Swedish athletics athletes (top-three placement at the national championship or top-six at the national youth championship JSM) in Gothenburg. This research project is a collaboration with and financed by Gothenburg Athletics Association and begun in spring 2016.

  • Overuse injuries in Swedish elite athletics– a study protocol for a prospective multifactorial cohort study
  • Athlete availability and incidence of overuse injuries over an athletics season in a cohort of elite Swedish athletics athletes - a prospective study

Participants

  • Postdoc Andreas Lundberg Zachrisson
  • Professor Stefan Grau
  • Senior lecturer Stefan Pettersson
  • Professor Jón Karlsson
  • Senior lecturer Andreas Ivarsson (Högskolan i Halmstad)
  • PhD student Pia Desai