New Research Publication: Long-Term Quality of Life after Injury in Youth Athletes
The Big Picture
If you are reading this blog post and you are a young athlete or, like myself, a parent, have you ever wondered what quality of life is like after an athlete gets injured?
I was fortunate to be the lead author on a recent multi-center original research study published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine which evaluated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after injury in young athletes.
What is Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL)?
In simple terms HRQoL is the summary of someone's physical, psychological, and social well-being. We used validated surveys to measure items like pain, mobility, peer relationships, anxiety, depression, and sadness.
Key Study Features
Our study evaluated 357 patients ages 8 through 18 who suffered an acute injury like a sprained ankle or broken wrist, an overuse injury like a stress fracture, or a concussion.
We surveyed patients one month, one year, and two years after injury and compared their quality of life to that of the general pediatric population.
Key Findings and Take Home Points
Young athletes with overuse injuries had worse mobility compared to the general pediatric population at 1 month after injury. One month, in the context of a single sport season, can be a significant chunk of time and take an athlete away from their sport. It is imperative to discuss methods to decrease the risk of developing overuse injuries. Please see the related blog post regarding evidence-based youth sports injury prevention guidelines.
Good news in the longer term. When we look at outcomes at 1 year and 2 years after injury, there was no aspect of quality of life in any of the athlete groups that we studied which was worse than the general pediatric population.
Key Message for Young Athletes and Parents
While there is an inherent risk of injury associated with sport participation, this study provides re-assurance that young athletes generally recover and/or preserve their quality of life 1 and 2 years after injury.
Appointment:
Dr. Verma provides treatment for orthopaedic and sports medicine conditions of the shoulder, elbow, hand/wrist, hip, knee, and foot/ankle. If you are interested in exploring treatment for your condition, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Verma to discuss the available options.