Does the lack of monitoring put elite swimmers at danger of overuse injuries?

Purpose of the study: Extreme volumes of swim training are endured by competitive swimmers, which can potentially cause overuse injury by overloading soft tissue structures. The aim of the study is to determine whether overuse injuries are more common during the training phase or competition phase among competitive swimmers.

Methods: This study used a prospective longitudinal design with training history and self-reported measures of overuse questionnaire once each fortnight for nine months, from March 2023 to November 2023. The study included the participation of 54 competitive swimmers ranging from various swimming clubs in India. The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire was utilised to collect data on prevalence of substantial overuse injuries.

Results: The median (IQR) prevalence of shoulder substantial overuse injuries during training is 27.5 (16–38) and in competition is 0 (0–14) with a p value of 0.001. The mean (SD) of recovery session during training is 4.1 (0.3) and during competition is 4.5 (0.5). The mean (SD) of strength sessions during training period is 4.7 (0.6) and during competition is 2.7 (0.4).

Conclusion: Implementing an effective athlete monitoring system for load management can play a crucial role in reducing these injuries. It is critical to treat the root causes of an overuse injury after a diagnosis as it is important for the swimmer, their parents, coaches, team doctor and physiotherapist to work together to identify potential risk factors and formulate a plan to prevent injuries.

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