Pattern of Injuries During the Great Lakes Athletics Championships Held in Kenya

Abstract

Background Injuries are common in sports, especially dynamic ones such as athletics. An accurate documentation of such injuries provides useful information for future planning, prevention, treatment and management. Literature seems nonexistent on the incidence of such sport injuries in Africa.

Objective This study investigated the injuries sustained during the first organised Great Lakes Paralympics Open Athletics Championships that brought together nine countries Nairobi –Kenya from the 21st–26th August 2010.

Design The data was collected from records of the medical team and analyzed descriptively and reported using percentages, bar graphs and tables.

Participants A total of 120 athletes participated in the championships and were from nine countries namely, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Ethiopia, and Egypt. 73 cases were reported and treated for one injury or the other.

Results The most common treatment was on soft tissue injuries 46 (63%), varying pain conditions (19%) and stomach upsets 12 (16%). The causes of these injuries included the type of shoes; type of wheelchair used and length of time spend on the warm up track. Most of the injuries resulted from overuse (40%) and improper training modalities.

Conclusion It was concluded that proper sports training and management of athletes was essential for an injury free competition. Training of volunteer coaches and medical personnel would be helpful for all teams.