Self-reported sports injuries in older athletes participating at a multi-sport event

Introduction and Aims: Injury surveillance data for older athletes participating at Masters Games is limited, with few papers reporting injury rates and types. The structure of the Pan Pacific Masters Games often requires athletes to participate in multiple competitive events each day over several days. The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-reported injuries and injury prevention strategies of participants at the 2016 Pan Pacific Masters Games.

Methods: All registered participants were emailed a survey one week following the completion of the Games. The participants were asked to report any injuries that occurred during the Games, along with injury types. Injury prevention and management strategies utilised during the Games were also surveyed.

Results: 11,953 participants competed at the 2016 Pan Pacific Masters Games. 707 participants responded to the survey (59.9% female, 39.1% male). 36% reported sustaining an injury during the Games. 64% of self-reported injuries involved the lower limb. 43% were muscle strains, 12% tendon injuries and 9% joint sprains. 78% were reported as new injuries. 37% of participants reported more than one injury. Of 690 participants who responded to the question ‘did you undertake any warm-up activities prior to training or playing during the week of the Games’ the responses were: always (64%), usually (22%), occasionally (11%), rarely or never (3%). The warm-up activities used by participants included stretching (87%), sport specific skills (73%), running/jogging (56%), and strengthening (14%). In total 47.2% of participants used tape (220) or a brace (105) while competing.

Conclusion: Muscle injuries were the predominant self-reported injuries at the 2016 Pan Pacific Masters Games. The lower limb was the most prevalent body part reported injured. The findings of the present study suggest that older athletes participating at these events have a high injury rate, especially when compared to injury surveillance data for multi-sport events for younger participants 1, 2. It is uncertain if these athletes’ preparation strategies were adequate and consistent with the demands of the event. Future studies to investigate the preparation strategies including training loads for older athletes to reduce injuries at Masters Games are warranted.