Overuse injuries in sport: development, validation and application of a new surveillance method

Abstract

Introduction: Overuse injuries, defined as those without a specific, identifiable event responsible for their occurrence, may be a substantial problem in many sports. However, current surveillance methods in sports injury epidemiology studies, which rely heavily on time loss for injury definitions and severity measurement, may underestimate their true impact. This is because athletes often continue to participate in sport despite the existence of overuse injuries. The main aim of this dissertation was to develop a new method to record overuse injuries in sport, and to establish its validity by applying it in a number of different research settings.

Paper I: Clarsen B, Myklebust G, Bahr R. Development and validation of a new method for the registration of overuse injuries in sports injury epidemiology: the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) overuse injury questionnaire. Br J Sports Med 2013;47:495-502.

Paper II: Clarsen B, Bahr R, Heymans MW, Engedahl M, Midtsundstad G, Rosenlund L, Thorsen G, Myklebust G. The prevalence and impact of overuse injuries in five Norwegian sports: Application of a new surveillance method. Scand J Med Sci Sports. Published online 30 March 2014. doi:10.1111/sms.12223

Paper III: Clarsen B, Bahr R, Andersson SH, Munk R, Myklebust G. Reduced glenohumeral rotation, external rotation weakness and scapular dyskinesis are risk factors for shoulder injuries among elite male handball players: A prospective cohort study. Br J Sports Med 2014;48:1327-33.

Paper IV: Clarsen B, Rønsen O, Myklebust G, Flørenes T, Bahr R. The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center questionnaire on health problems: a new approach to prospective monitoring of illness and injury in elite athletes. Br J Sports Med 2014;48:754-60.