Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Aug 30;8(1):28.
doi: 10.1186/s13102-016-0053-x. eCollection 2016.

The Sports-Related Injuries and Illnesses in Paralympic Sport Study (SRIIPSS): a study protocol for a prospective longitudinal study

Kristina Fagher  1 , Jenny Jacobsson  2 , Toomas Timpka  2 , Örjan Dahlström  3 , Jan Lexell  4
Affiliations

The Sports-Related Injuries and Illnesses in Paralympic Sport Study (SRIIPSS): a study protocol for a prospective longitudinal study

Kristina Fagher et al. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Paralympic sport provides sporting opportunities for athletes with a disability, with the Paralympic Games as the main event. Participation in sport is, however, associated with a significant risk for sustaining injuries and illnesses. Our knowledge of sports-related injuries and illnesses in Paralympic sport is very limited and there are no large-scale epidemiological cohort studies. The purpose here is to present a protocol for a prospective longitudinal study: The Sports-Related Injuries and Illnesses in Paralympic Sport Study (SRIIPSS).

Methods/design: An argument-based method for investigation of design problems was used to structure the study protocol. The primary requirement of the protocol is to allow prospective studies over time and include exposure to both training and competition. To reflect the complexity of Paralympic sport with athletes' pre-existing impairments, use of assistive equipment, pain and other and medical issues, it is required that the data collection system is specifically adapted to Paralympic sport. To allow the collection of data, at the same time as there is limited access to coaches and medical personnel, it is advantageous that data can be collected online directly from the athletes. Based on this a self-report athlete monitoring system will be developed, where the athletes can enter data weekly via their mobile phones or lap-tops. Data will be collected from around 100 Swedish Paralympic athletes for approximately 1 year, which will allow us to i) prospectively estimate the annual incidence of sports-related injuries and illnesses and ii) explore risk factors and mechanisms for sustaining sports-related injuries and illnesses based on athlete exposure and training loads.

Discussion: For effective implementation of injury and illness prevention measures, comprehensive epidemiological knowledge is required. This study will be the first prospective longitudinal self-report study of sports-related injuries and illnesses in Paralympic sport over a longer period of time. The results will eventually contribute to the development of evidence-based preventive measures specifically adapted to Paralympic sport in order to provide safe and healthy sport participation. Thereby, the project will be of relevance for Paralympic athletes at all levels and to the Paralympic Movement.

Trial registration: The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02788500; Registration date: 22 May 2016).

Keywords: Athletic injuries; Epidemiology; Research protocol; Sports for persons with disabilities; Sports medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Requirements and associations underlying the study protocol for The Sports-Related Injuries and Illnesses in Paralympic Sport Study (SRIIPSS)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. International Paralympic Committee: http://www.paralympic.org. Accessed 5 May 2016.
    1. Vanlandewijck YCTWR. The Paralympic athlete. Handbook of sports medicine and science. 2. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell; 2011.
    1. World Health Organization . Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010. - PubMed
    1. Mountjoy M, Andersen LB, Armstrong N, Biddle S, Boreham C, Bedenbeck HP, Ekelund U, Engebretsen L, Hardman K, Hills AP, et al. International Olympic Committee consensus statement on the health and fitness of young people through physical activity and sport. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45(11):839–848. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2011-090228. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lee IM, Shiroma EJ, Lobelo F, Puska P, Blair SN, Katzmarzyk PT. Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet. 2012;380(9838):219–229. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61031-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Associated data