2017 ISAKOS Biennial Congress ePoster #2417

 

Injuries In Collegiate Female Collegiate Rowers

Seth C. Gamradt, MD, Los Angeles, CA UNITED STATES
Russell Romano, ATC, Los Angeles, California UNITED STATES
Steven J Narvy, MD, Sherman Oaks, CA UNITED STATES
Santano Rosario, BS, Los Angeles, CA UNITED STATES
Christos D. Photopoulos, MD, Los Angeles, CA UNITED STATES
Nima Mehran, MD, Los Angeles, CA UNITED STATES
James E. Tibone, MD, Los Angeles, CA UNITED STATES

University of Southern California Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES

FDA Status Not Applicable

Summary

We examined the profile of injuries sustained during athletic participation of elite female rowers from a single Division I institution and lumbar injuries were the most common and the most serious.

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Abstract

Objectives:
To examine the profile of injuries sustained during athletic participation of elite female rowers from a single Division I institution.

Methods

A retrospective review of all injuries occurring in a Division I Women’s Crew team from 2004 to 2014 was performed. Injuries were diagnosed by the head athletic trainer and the team physician, and were included in this study if they resulted in any cessation of rowing activity. A comparative analysis was then performed amongst athletic injuries, with a specific focus on injury epidemiology and time lost from participation. Of the athletic cohort with low back injury, a descriptive analysis of magnetic resonance imaging was performed to evaluate similarities in pathology.

Results

Between the 2004 and 2014 seasons, there were a total of 137 injuries documented in 92 players. Of these, low back injuries (n=35, 26%) represented the most common athletic injury. Knee overuse injuries (n=16, 11.7%) and shoulder injuries (n=15, 10.9%) were next most common. Other injuries included: upper back injuries (n=14, 10.2%), wrist injuries (n=8, 5.8%), and thorax/rib injuries (n=7, 5.2%).

Of the athletes with low back injury, 16% (n=6) did not return to athletic participation for the remainder of their collegiate careers. Amongst those with low back injuries who did return to sport (n=31, 84%), the average number of missed days of participation was 60.5 days. Average loss of participation with other injuries included: knee injury (16.9 days), upper back injury (11.3 days), and shoulder injury (5.6 days).

Of the athletes with low back injury, 30% presented with lower extremity radiculopathy, ten of whom were further evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The most common MR finding was degenerative disc disease (8 patients), primarily evident at the L4/5 and L5/S1 intervertebral spaces. Other findings included bilateral sacroiliitis, facet arthropathy, and pars stress fractures. All athletes were treated non-operatively.

Conclusions

In this Division I female collegiate rowing cohort, low back injuries represented the most common athletic injury, followed by knee and shoulder injuries. Low back injuries resulted in the greatest number of missed days when compared to other injuries. Radiologic evaluation of these athletes reveals that degenerative disc disease in the lower lumbar levels is the most common MRI finding. The long term implications of these findings in this young athletic cohort warrants further investigation.