Abstract
Aim: To determine the musculoskeletal profile of lower extremity injuries within a state law enforcement agency.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Methods: Data were collected by the NSW Police Force over a 7-year period (2009- 2016). Data not meeting the specific definitions for musculoskeletal injury were excluded using a tiered system with data cleaned to ensure no incomplete entries and recoding to improve data integrity. Ethics approval was granted from Bond University (015360).
Results: Of the initial 65,579 incidents, 12,452 (19%) were musculoskeletal lower limb incidents. The knee was the most commonly injured site (31.4%) with sprains/strains(42.3%) the most common nature of injury and arresting offenders (24.2%) the most common incident activity. Slips/trips/falls (37.8%) were found to be the most common cause of injury. Variations were found between gender most notably within the incident activity (p<.001) where males had a 10.6% higher rate for resting an offender and females an 8.6% higher rate for walking/running. The mean number of hours worked prior to injury was 6.12±3.96, mean shift length = 10.34±3.52hours.
Conclusion / Key Practice Points: The leading sites of injuries (knees and ankles) were similar to that of other tactical populations. The tendency for injuries to occur later in a shift suggest that fatigue may play a part.
· Evidence based lower extremity injury reduction measures and return-to-work protocols may be of use in this population
· Work hardening should include specific tasks (like arresting an offender) and progress to functionality over a full shift length.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 17 Oct 2017 |
| Event | APA National Physiotherapy Conference MOMENTUM 2017 - Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney, Australia Duration: 19 Oct 2017 → 21 Oct 2017 |
Conference
| Conference | APA National Physiotherapy Conference MOMENTUM 2017 |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | APA |
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Sydney |
| Period | 19/10/17 → 21/10/17 |
| Other | Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) Momentum 2017 is organized by Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) and would be held during Oct 19 - 21, 2017 at Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The target audience for this medical meeting basically for Physicians. Physiotherapists have always been innovators in health, pushing forward to deliver excellent patient outcomes. As the healthcare landscape becomes more competitive, it is important to keep moving with the changes. MOMENTUM 2017, the APA national conference will empower you to be part of the future of Australian and global physiotherapy. Join with the rest of the profession to hear from leaders in physiotherapy about the latest clinical research. Meet the people you need to know to help you grow in your profession and discover the newest innovations. |