Risk factors associated with sports related injury severity in adolescents: a prospective study over a single season of sport

There is a high prevalence of injury in adolescent sports including time loss and non-time loss related injury. This study aims to investigate the risk factors associated with sports injury severity from time loss to non-time loss injuries in adolescent sports. This was a prospective cohort study. At baseline, sports participation, demographic factors and dynamic balance using an inertial sensor instrumented Quantified Y-balance Test (QYBT) were captured. Participants were followed bi-weekly for one school year to record athletic exposures and injury status using a modified Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse injury questionnaire. Multilevel ordinal regression models analysed the association between injury severity and risk factors of interest including age, gender, bodyweight, body mass index, somatic maturity, athletic exposures and QYBT derived dynamic balance metrics (Normalized reach distance, jerk magnitude root mean squared, gyroscopic magnitude root mean squared and gyroscopic sample entropy). Of 140 adolescents (56% female) that took part, 117 were included in analysis. 63% reported at least one injury. Higher gyroscopic values in the posteromedial reach direction had lower odds of more severe injury (Odds Ratio: 0.89; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.81–0.98). Higher weekly athletic exposures were associated with higher odds of sustaining a more severe injury (Odds Ratio: 1.11; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.04–1.18). Adolescents in a mixed sport population who have higher athletic exposures and poorer dynamic balance performance as assessed using the QYBT are at higher risk of more severe injury. Dynamic balance and athletic exposures represent trackable and modifiable factors that are associated with injury in adolescent sports.