PREVENTING INJURY IN YOUTH ATHLETES (PRIYA)

Abstract

Affiliation: Emory Sports Medicine Center & Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA Background: To compare the incidence of re-injury after lower extremity (LE) injury and the days missed following LE injury in high school athletes who use a criteria-based single leg hop test (SLHT) to determine return-to-play (RTP) versus those that do not utilize a criteria-based method. Methods: Prospective cohort analysis of athletic exposures (AE), injuries, re-injuries, and RTP duration between two high schools during the 2017-2018 fall season. One school (SLHT school) utilized the SLHT to determine RTP after LE injuries. The other school (control school) did not utilize a criteria-based method. Athletes were excluded if they sustained a fracture, high-grade ligament tear, or injury requiring surgery. Incidence rates (IR) of LE injuries, re-injuries, and average RTP duration after LE injury were calculated for each school. Results: At the time of submission, there were 66,100 AEs with 41 LE injuries (LE injury IR = 6.2 per 10,000 AEs, 95% CI 4.6-8.4) at the SLHT school and 45,342 AEs with 34 LE injuries (7.7 per 10,000 AEs, 95% CI 5.5-10.8) at the control school (p=0.34). The average RTP duration after LE injury was 12.3 days at the SLHT school and 12.7 days at the control school (p=0.12). There were no re-injuries after LE injury at the SLHT school, and 1 at the control school. Conclusions: There was no statistically significant difference between LE injury rates or RTP duration between the control and intervention schools. There was only 1 re-injury after LE injury that occurred at the control school. Significance: The SLHT does not appear to influence reinjury risk in RTP progression, however it does not add any additional days missed on RTP compared to control school with no criteria-based progression. We will continue to monitor for differences prospectively for another year of exposures. Acknowledgements This study was supported by a grant from the AMSSM Foundation and a grant from the Emory University Department of Orthopaedics.