Comprehensive 1-year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes: impact of season timing, years of sports experience, impairment and sports type

Objectives Investigate the associations between season timing, sports experience, impairments and sports type with injuries and time loss among para athletes over a 50-week sports season.Methods Data were collected in 2022 from two Brazilian Paralympic Centres, including para athletes competing in p...

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Main Authors: Evert Verhagen, Erik Witvrouw, Evi Wezenbeek, Fernanda Madaleno, Juliana Ocarino, Renan Resende, Marco Túlio de Mello, Andressa Silva, Larissa Pinheiro, Mauro Heleno Chagas, Dawit Gonçalves
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-06-01
Series:BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
Online Access:https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/2/e002474.full
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author Evert Verhagen
Erik Witvrouw
Evi Wezenbeek
Fernanda Madaleno
Juliana Ocarino
Renan Resende
Marco Túlio de Mello
Andressa Silva
Larissa Pinheiro
Mauro Heleno Chagas
Dawit Gonçalves
author_facet Evert Verhagen
Erik Witvrouw
Evi Wezenbeek
Fernanda Madaleno
Juliana Ocarino
Renan Resende
Marco Túlio de Mello
Andressa Silva
Larissa Pinheiro
Mauro Heleno Chagas
Dawit Gonçalves
author_sort Evert Verhagen
collection DOAJ
description Objectives Investigate the associations between season timing, sports experience, impairments and sports type with injuries and time loss among para athletes over a 50-week sports season.Methods Data were collected in 2022 from two Brazilian Paralympic Centres, including para athletes competing in para swimming, para athletics, para powerlifting and para taekwondo. Injuries were recorded weekly using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems Questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression was used to analyse injury data, and a multilevel zero-inflated negative binomial model was used for time loss. ORs and rate ratios (RRs) were calculated.Results 102 para athletes participated. As the season progressed, we observed fewer gradual-onset (OR=0.97) and sudden-onset injuries (OR=0.97) and less time loss (RR=0.99), but an increase in the odds of substantial gradual-onset injuries (OR=1.04). More years of sports experience were associated with fewer sudden-onset injuries (OR=0.94) and more time loss (RR=1.10). Moreover, para athletes with visual impairments were less likely to experience gradual-onset injuries (OR=0.55) and had less time loss (RR=0.12) than those with physical impairments. Para swimmers experienced fewer gradual (OR=0.65) and sudden-onset (OR=0.52) injuries and had less time loss (RR=0.40) compared with athletes in para athletics, while para powerlifters had fewer sudden-onset injuries than those in para athletics (OR=0.34).Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of considering the investigated factors in injury prevention for para athletes. Careful monitoring throughout the season—especially for para athletes with lower or higher levels of sports experience, those with physical impairments and those competing in para athletics—could yield significant benefits
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spelling doaj-art-717c3c8569614633b42c6376a7ae1bee2025-08-20T03:31:24ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine2055-76472025-06-0111210.1136/bmjsem-2025-002474Comprehensive 1-year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes: impact of season timing, years of sports experience, impairment and sports typeEvert Verhagen0Erik Witvrouw1Evi Wezenbeek2Fernanda Madaleno3Juliana Ocarino4Renan Resende5Marco Túlio de Mello6Andressa Silva7Larissa Pinheiro8Mauro Heleno Chagas9Dawit Gonçalves10Amsterdam Collaboration on Health & Safety in Sports, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent, Belgium1 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, BrazilDepartment of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil3 School of Physical Education, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Department of Sports, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil3 School of Physical Education, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Department of Sports, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil11 Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, BrazilSports Training Center, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, BrazilSports Training Center, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, BrazilObjectives Investigate the associations between season timing, sports experience, impairments and sports type with injuries and time loss among para athletes over a 50-week sports season.Methods Data were collected in 2022 from two Brazilian Paralympic Centres, including para athletes competing in para swimming, para athletics, para powerlifting and para taekwondo. Injuries were recorded weekly using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems Questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression was used to analyse injury data, and a multilevel zero-inflated negative binomial model was used for time loss. ORs and rate ratios (RRs) were calculated.Results 102 para athletes participated. As the season progressed, we observed fewer gradual-onset (OR=0.97) and sudden-onset injuries (OR=0.97) and less time loss (RR=0.99), but an increase in the odds of substantial gradual-onset injuries (OR=1.04). More years of sports experience were associated with fewer sudden-onset injuries (OR=0.94) and more time loss (RR=1.10). Moreover, para athletes with visual impairments were less likely to experience gradual-onset injuries (OR=0.55) and had less time loss (RR=0.12) than those with physical impairments. Para swimmers experienced fewer gradual (OR=0.65) and sudden-onset (OR=0.52) injuries and had less time loss (RR=0.40) compared with athletes in para athletics, while para powerlifters had fewer sudden-onset injuries than those in para athletics (OR=0.34).Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of considering the investigated factors in injury prevention for para athletes. Careful monitoring throughout the season—especially for para athletes with lower or higher levels of sports experience, those with physical impairments and those competing in para athletics—could yield significant benefitshttps://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/2/e002474.full
spellingShingle Evert Verhagen
Erik Witvrouw
Evi Wezenbeek
Fernanda Madaleno
Juliana Ocarino
Renan Resende
Marco Túlio de Mello
Andressa Silva
Larissa Pinheiro
Mauro Heleno Chagas
Dawit Gonçalves
Comprehensive 1-year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes: impact of season timing, years of sports experience, impairment and sports type
BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
title Comprehensive 1-year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes: impact of season timing, years of sports experience, impairment and sports type
title_full Comprehensive 1-year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes: impact of season timing, years of sports experience, impairment and sports type
title_fullStr Comprehensive 1-year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes: impact of season timing, years of sports experience, impairment and sports type
title_full_unstemmed Comprehensive 1-year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes: impact of season timing, years of sports experience, impairment and sports type
title_short Comprehensive 1-year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes: impact of season timing, years of sports experience, impairment and sports type
title_sort comprehensive 1 year multilevel study of sports injuries in para athletes impact of season timing years of sports experience impairment and sports type
url https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/2/e002474.full
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