Information about project titled 'Text messaging as a new method for injury registration in sports – a methodological study in elite female football'
Text messaging as a new method for injury registration in sports – a methodological study in elite female football
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Published |
| Project manager: | Agnethe Nilstad |
| Supervisor(s): | Thor Einar Andersen, Roald Bahr |
Description
Injury registration is a necessary first step of injury prevention in sports, as the injury incidence and patterns must be known to target interventions towards modifiable risk factors. However, there is a discrepancy in injury incidences reported, and previous studies are mainly based on team registrations conducted by the team medical staff. Hence, there is a need for studies documenting injuries on individual level and to assess the optimal method for recording injuries in team sports.
The objective of this study is to evaluate individual self-reported registration through text messaging (SMS) as a new injury registration method in team sports, and to compare the accuracy of this method to routine injury registration performed by the team medical staff.
Methods
All teams in the Norwegian elite female football league (N=12; 228 players) were included in the study, and consecutively reported injuries and exposure in training and match throughout the 2009 football season (April-November).
For the individual registration, a new SMS-tracking system was used (New Agenda Solutions ApS, Denmark); all players received three SMS weekly with questions related to time of exposure in football training and matches, and whether injury had occurred. When an injury was reported, the player was contacted to complete an injury form regarding injury type, location, circumstances and severity of injury.
For the team registration, a member of the medical staff recorded team exposure and injuries by using standardized registration forms, and these were returned monthly throughout the season.
This is the first study to evaluate self-reported injury registration through SMS, and to compare the method to the traditional team registration conducted by team medical staff. The study will also give a detailed description of injuries sustained by elite female football players throughout one season.