Sunday, September 21, 2014

Overuse injuries from college athletics and future traumatic injury? Limitations in activity, obesity, and chronic diseases have already been linked.


Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease- this is the overuse injury (a form of arthritis) that possibly formed the bone spurs leading to a major injury, after a relatively minor accident that I should have  recovered from easily...

As I sit stuck in my bed after an auto accident, in a neck brace, almost 3 weeks later (and still progressing), I am watching the Alabama Crimson Tide play and this is the research publication I remembered completing at the Capstone (at UA) in 2006. I have followed a larger database of athletes to try to continue to answer a big question- is the stress of college athletics too much? Does it interfere with the long-term health and wellness of the athlete? Does the athlete have long-term limitations in activity due to injuries sustained in college athletics, or due to overtraining in college? Is the "price of competition" worth the cost?
In my current state, I can say no- after a high-speed rear end auto accident has left me bedridden due to a spinal cord injury. The bone spurs from overuse are what injured my cord. Ive lived the past 3 years with chronic pain, but this is scary and watching myself go downhill is even more disturbing. I have a hard time taking it easy, but I know it is essential to life/movement at this point. 
I want to revisit the impact of chronic injuries due to the excessive amount of training "necessary" in NCAA athletics and their long term risks...ironically, my research has led me to become a case study...

Prior Research:

Long Term Injuries in Athletes- My Open Access Publication in JEP:
http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineFebruary2007.html

Long-term Impact of Athletic Participation on Physical Capabilities. JEPonline 2007;10(1):34-47. Collegiate athletes undergo training regimens that place them under chronic stress, consequently increasing susceptibility to injuries and overtraining. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of prior participation in collegiate athletics on limitations in daily life and limitations during exercise in the years following. Former Division I college athletes, and a demographically similar group of non-athlete alumni (controls), were surveyed via e-mail (n=15,000) concerning injuries incurred during participation in all varsity sports. Also included were questions about current health and activity status, and physical limitations. Of former athletes, 50% had major injuries while in college compared to 10% of controls (p<0.01), while 52% of athletes reported chronic injuries while only 11% of controls reported the same (p<0.01). Of the alumni controls, 4% reported limitations in daily life, and 6% reported limitations during exercise, while the athletes reported 21% and 36%, respectively (p<0.01 for each). These data suggest that prior collegiate athletics participation may result in a substantial physical cost, and are a first step in determining the potential long-term risks associated with participation in athletics. 


INCIDENCE OF INJURY AND DISEASE AMONG FORMER
ATHLETES: A REVIEW

KELLY FRIERY


Friery, KB. Incidence of Injury and Disease Among Former Athletes:
A Review. JEPonline 2008;11(2):26-45. Athletes undergo vigorous
training in order to excel in their sport. They must participate in more
than the recommended amount of daily physical activity to be able to
reach a high level of competition. High levels of training may lead to high
amounts of injury in specific sports. The purpose of this review was to
examine the incidence of injury in athletes in specific sports. There have
been several studies that have tried to establish a link between future
disease risk and prior athletic participation. Prior injury may play a role in
the development of future disease. This review also examined the
relationship between specific sports and future chronic disease risk. A
comprehensive review of literature led to 2 review articles and 68
original research articles. These articles document onset of chronic
disease and injury risk in elite level athletes. Results confirm that more
research is needed in order to link injuries in early athletics with future
chronic disease risk. The risk of osteoarthritis after joint injury in athletic
competition is high, according to each study analyzed. Chronic disease
risk is not decreased for athletes versus nonathletes, unless activity is
maintained throughout the lifespan. This review may shed light into the
risk carried in specific sports for injury. This review may serve as a
starting place for future research into the risk of chronic disease in
athletes with prior injuries.

Key Words: Osteoarthritis, Chronic Disease, Athletic Injuries.
http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/FrieryJEPonlineApril2008.pdf

Sport Injury and College Athlete Health
Across the Lifespan
http://www.humankinetics.com/acucustom/sitename/Documents/DocumentItem/17176.pdf

Restricted Activity Levels of Former Collegiate Athletes

Overtraining, Exercise, and Adrenal Insufficiency 

Injuries and Physical Limitations in Division I Female Collegiate Athletes,


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