Journal article
Return to Sport After Knee Injuries in Collegiate Wrestling
The Iowa orthopaedic journal, Vol.43(1), pp.131-135
01/01/2023
PMCID: PMC10296484
PMID: 37383862
Appears in Diamond Open Access
Abstract
Background
Wrestling is known to be a sport of relatively high injury incidence, and knee injuries account for a large percentage of those injuries. Treatment of these injuries varies considerably depending on injury and wrestler characteristics, leading to variability in complete recovery and return to sport (RTS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate injury trends, treatment strategies, and RTS characteristics after knee injuries in competitive collegiate wrestling.
Methods
NCAA Division I collegiate wrestlers who sustained knee injuries between January 2010 and May 2020 were identified using an institutional Sports Injury Management System (SIMS). Wrestling-related knee, meniscus, and patella injuries were identified, and treatment strategies were documented to investigate potential recurrent injury trends. Descriptive statistics were used to quantify the number of days, practices, and competitions missed, return to sport times, and recurrent injuries among wrestlers.
Results
Overall, 184 knee injuries were identified. After excluding non-wrestling injuries (n=11), 173 injuries remained (77 wrestlers). The mean age at time of injury was 20.8 ± 1.4 years, and the mean BMI was 25.9 ± 3.8 kg/m2. There were 135 primary injuries (74 wrestlers), which consisted of 72 (53%) ligamentous injuries, 30 (22%) meniscus injuries, 14 patellar injuries (10%), and 19 other injuries (14%). The majority of ligamentous injuries (93%) and patellar injuries (79%) were treated non-operatively, while the majority of meniscus tears (60%) underwent surgery. Twenty-three wrestlers (22%) sustained recurrent knee injuries, of which 76% were treated non-operatively after their initial injury. Recurrent injuries consisted of 12 (32%) ligamentous injuries, 14 (37%) meniscus injuries, eight (21%) patellar injuries, and four (11%) other injuries. Fifty percent of recurrent injuries were treated operatively. When comparing recurrent injuries to primary injuries, recurrent injuries had a significantly longer return to sport time (Recurrent 68.3 ± 96.0 days vs. Primary 26.0 ± 56.4 days, p=0.01).
Conclusion
The majority of NCAA Division I collegiate wrestlers who sustained knee injuries were initially treated non-operatively, and approximately one in five wrestlers sustained recurrent injuries. Return to sport time was significantly increased after a recurrent injury.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Return to Sport After Knee Injuries in Collegiate Wrestling
- Creators
- Kory Ford - Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USAAndrew L. Schaver - Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USASteven Leary - University of IowaJerrod N. Keith - University of IowaRobert W. Westermann - Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Iowa orthopaedic journal, Vol.43(1), pp.131-135
- Publisher
- Dept. of Orthopaedics, The University of Iowa; United States
- PMID
- 37383862
- PMCID
- PMC10296484
- ISSN
- 1541-5457
- eISSN
- 1555-1377
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/01/2023
- Academic Unit
- Orthopedics and Rehabilitation; Surgery; Athletic Training Program
- Record Identifier
- 9984436751502771
Metrics
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