Injury patterns and treatment outcomes in sports-related knee and shoulder injuries in athletes from India's Olympic state, Haryana.

BACKGROUND

Our study aims to investigate injury patterns and treatment results in sports-related knee and shoulder injuries among athletes from Haryana, the most prominent state in the contribution of Olympic medals for India.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary referral centre. Over five years, from May 2018 to June 2023, 920 participants were included in our study.

RESULT

Most injuries (59.90 %) occurred between the ages of 16 and 20. Men (62.60 %) outnumbered women (37.40 %). On average, the individuals weighed 68.57 ± 13.65 kg, stood 1.57 ± 0.11 m tall, and had a BMI of 25.75 ± 4.81 kg/m2. Kabaddi players, most commonly injured athletes (42.60 %), followed by wrestling (31.30 %). Most athletes were professional, with 35.43 % competing at the national level, while 33.26 % competed at the state level. The average delay in presentation was 14.28 ± 8.12 months. Most injuries occurred during competitive matches (61.30 %), rest during practice. Contact injuries accounted for 31.41 % of cases, while non-contact injuries accounted for 54.02 % of all injuries. Only knee and shoulder injuries were considered, accounting for 77.28 % and 22.72 % of all injuries. Most observed injuries were ACL rupture (60.76 %), followed by meniscal tears (54.45 %) and collateral ligament injuries (26.96 %). 424 patients treated conservatively, whereas 53.9 % cases underwent arthroscopic/open surgical procedures. 74.13 % of athletes returned to competitive sports after their injury of which 38.71 % returned to the previous level of activity. The duration of time lost to injury ranged from 4 to 60 months (average 10.58 ± 4.74). Return to sports was significantly affected by the athletes' gender, BMI, level of competitiveness, and management modality (p-value <0.01 each).

CONCLUSION

Limiting the frequency, severity, and amount of time missed in sports while enabling athletes to return virtually to their pre-injury activity level should continue to be the primary goal of injury prevention.