Muscle Function and Traumatic Knee Injury in Sports

The Role of Muscle Function as a Potential Risk and/or Protective Factor for Traumatic Knee Injury in Youth Female Athletes

The aims of the project are to 1) evaluate different aspects of muscle function and its role as a potential risk and/or protective factor for traumatic knee injury in youth female athletes; 2) develop and evaluate a battery of muscle function tests, easily used and requiring minimal equipment, to be applied as an on-the-field screening tool to detect muscle function deficiencies and monitoring youth female athletes at high risk of traumatic knee injury.

A prospective cohort design will be used, including approximately 100 female athletes (age 15-19) from Swedish senior sports high schools who are involved in high risk sports (soccer, handball, floorball and basket). A test battery for muscle function has been developed consisting of 11 tests that previously have been used for the assessment of muscle function. The tests will be instructed and supervised by educated test leaders. Measurements will take place at the athletes' school and carried out during the first semester (autumn 2017 and 2018). Data on injury surveillance and exposure (hours of match and training participation) will be collected prospectively over two years using a web-designed registration form. All athletes will on a weekly basis report their hours of training, minutes of match play and all time-loss injuries occurring during sport activity. Details on injury mechanism and diagnosis will be collected by each school's medical staff. The present study will contribute new knowledge on the role of muscle function and develop and evaluate a battery of muscle function tests to be used as an on-the-field screening tool for monitoring youth female athletes at high risk of traumatic knee injury.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Cartilage Injury; ACL Injury; Ligament Injury; Meniscus Lesion

Detailed Description

A prospective cohort design will be used for the present study comprising approximately 100 (determined by power analysis) female athletes (age 15-19) from Swedish senior high schools who are involved in high risk sports (soccer, handball, floorball and basket). The study started autumn 2017 with assessment of muscle function at baseline, instructed and supervised by two test leaders. Before the test session the athlete will be informed and tutored about the injury and exposure registration procedure. Measurements takes place in a secluded room at the athletes' school and will be carried out during the first semester (autumn 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020). Data relating to sport affiliation, number of years of specific sport training, the number of training hours per week and her/his training routines, level of competition and participation in other sports, age, body weight and height will also be conducted using a questionnaire. After the baseline assessment, the athletes will participate in a continuous web based prospective injury registration protocol and be followed for two years.

Outcome measures Data on injury surveillance and exposure (hours of match and training participation) will be collected prospectively over two years using a web-designed (REDCap Software) registration form. All athletes will on a weekly basis report their hours of training, minutes of match play and all time-loss injuries occurring during sport activity. Details on injury mechanism, nature, and diagnosis will be collected by each school's medical staff. The outcome of interest is a traumatic knee injury, i.e., ACL or other ligament injury, meniscal, cartilage damage or fracture, diagnosed by physical examination and/or MRI, arthroscopy.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 100

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • WV
    • Kalmar, WV, Sweden, 39363
      • Recruiting
      • Sofia Ryman Augustsson
      • Contact: Sofia R Ryman Augustsson, PhD; Phone Number: 768288016 768288016; Email: sofia.rymanaugustsson@gmail.com
      • Contact: Eva Ageberg, Professor; Email: eva.ageberg@med.lu.se

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 19 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Female athletes (age 15-19) from Swedish senior high schools who are involved in high risk sports (soccer, handball, floorball and basket).

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female high-school athlete
• age 15-19 y
• must play soccer, handball, floorball or basketplayer

Exclusion Criteria:

• illness, which might affect the test results
• injury to the lower extremity at the time of baseline data collection -

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Youth female athletes with poor muscle function; Youth female athletes (floorball, football and handball) with assessed poor muscle function at baseline.
Youth female athletes with good muscle function; Youth female athletes (floorball, football and handball) with assessed good muscle function at baseline.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Assessment of traumatic knee injury	Traumatic knee injury will be assessed by a web-designed (REDCap Software) registration form	2 years
Muscle strength testing	Muscle strength will be assessed using an isometric handheld dynamometer (Commander Echo, JTECH Medical, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)	Collected during 2 month at 1 session
Muscular endurance and neuromuscular tests	Muscular endurance and neuromuscular tests will be video-recorded using the Coach Eye app for smart phone	Collected during 2 month at 1 session

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Lund University
• Investigators: Study Director: Sofia Ryman Augustsson, Lunds University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 12, 2017
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): May 1, 2021
• Study Completion (Anticipated): June 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): March 27, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 2, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 28, 2020
• Last Verified: May 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Leg Injuries; Wounds and Injuries; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Knee Injuries
• Other Study ID Numbers: 929-13

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No