The aim of this study was to collect injury surveillance data at a multi-sport Master Games event to identify the incidence and types of injuries and medical conditions sustained by older athletes, both overall and by each individual sport.
Attendances to medical services by athletes were recorded by the medical team at 29 different sports at the 2016 Pan Pacific Masters Games. A standardised reporting system was used to collect information about the participants sport, body part or system requiring attention, and a description of the type of injury or medical condition. Injury surveillance data was subsequently analysed to determine the number and type of medical encounters reported to the medical team, both overall and by each sport.
From the 11831 registered entrants (Female 54.2%) there was an overall injury incidence of 37.2%. Injury incidence varied widely between different sports, ranging from a low of 1.2% for swimming to a high of 95.4% for baseball. Lower limb injuries predominated, accounting for 71.7% of all medical encounters. Most presentations to the medical team were for soft tissue injuries (55.3%), followed by requests for assistance with injury prevention strategies such as taping, massage, and stretching (28.5%), and thirdly for management of skin injuries (7.7%)
While there was a high overall rate of medical presentations to the Games medical team, injury incidence varied widely across the different sports contested at a multi-sport Masters Games event. There was a high rate of musculoskeletal injuries, with most presentations to the medical team being for soft tissue injuries, mostly to the lower limb.
The data collected in this study could be used by Masters Games event organisers to assist with the planning of appropriate medical services, both overall, and by a sport-by-sport basis. The high rates of lower limb soft tissue injuries suggests that providing information about effective injury prevention strategies may be valuable for Master Games participants.
injury surveillance
