Publications by authors named "Liam A Toohey"
Article Synopsis
- - The study analyzed ACL injury data from 2015 to 2020 in Australian high-performance athletes, revealing that 132 injuries occurred primarily in female athletes (77 of 108 total), with a significant number happening during training.
- - The median time to return to sport (RTS) was 369 days, and older athletes had shorter RTS times, although injuries caused considerable time loss regardless of concurrent knee issues.
- - Notably, 25.8% of the ACL injuries were subsequent to a previous injury, mainly affecting the same knee, indicating a need for improved prevention and rehabilitation strategies.
Objectives: To describe the incidence, severity, burden and sport specific characteristics of injuries reported in elite diving athletes.
Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.
Methods: Medical attention and time-loss injuries from 63 (43 female, 20 male) Australian national diving programme athletes were prospectively collected over four seasons (September 2018-August 2022).
To investigate: (1) the injury epidemiology in an Australian academy; (2) how athletes transition through the high-performance sport (HPS) pathway; and (3) why athletes leave this HPS program. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at an Australian HPS academy over a 4-year period. Medical attention injuries were prospectively recorded.
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- - The study evaluated a secondary injury prevention strategy aimed at early detection and management of hamstring and groin injuries in a male Australian football club.
- - Data was collected from 73 players, monitoring specific strength measurements during the season to identify when interventions were necessary based on significant strength reductions.
- - Results indicated a notable decrease in both hamstring strain injury (19.8%) and groin injury (49.1%) among players during the intervention period compared to a prior control period, suggesting the effectiveness of the intervention.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the types and frequency of health problems, particularly injuries, among competitive diving athletes, focusing on the common occurrence of lumbar spine injuries.
- After reviewing 2554 articles, 28 studies met the criteria, revealing an injury incidence range from 2.1% to 22.2%, with shoulder and lower back injuries being the most common.
- The research highlights a significant prevalence of low back pain in divers, along with various illnesses, suggesting that up to 1 in 5 athletes may experience injuries or health issues during competition.
Article Synopsis
- The text provides a scoping review of methods used in estimating costs associated with sports-related injuries, emphasizing the growth in research since 2014.
- A total of 31 studies were included, with most analyzing direct healthcare costs, indirect costs, or both, using predominantly a bottom-up costing approach.
- The review highlights a significant gap in methodological clarity and suggests enhancing cost of illness guidelines specifically for sports injuries to improve future research.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed injury incidence rates (IIRs) and trends over five seasons in an Australian male professional football club, finding an overall IIR of 9.18 injuries per 1000 hours.
- The IIR during matches was significantly higher (31.29 per 1000 hours) compared to training (4.49 per 1000 hours), highlighting that injuries occur more frequently during games.
- The research emphasized the need for focused injury prevention strategies targeting lower limb injuries, particularly anterior cruciate ligaments, ankle sprains, and hamstring strains, as these contribute to a significant loss of playing time.
Article Synopsis
- The study monitored 50 elite Australian triathletes over four years (2018-2021) to determine how common injuries were and their impact on training and competition.
- A total of 266 injuries were reported, with 92% of athletes affected; most injuries (70.7%) occurred during training, and bone stress injuries (BSIs) were particularly burdensome.
- Female triathletes experienced BSIs at a rate three times higher than males, highlighting the need for targeted injury prevention strategies for women in the sport.*
Background: Value-based healthcare provider reimbursement models have been proposed as an alternative to traditional fee-for-service arrangements that can align financial reimbursement more closely to the outcomes of value to patients and society. This study aimed to investigate stakeholder perceptions and experiences of different reimbursement systems for healthcare providers in high-performance sport, with a focus on fee-for-service versus salaried provider models.
Methods: Three in-depth semi-structured focus group discussions and one individual interview were conducted with key stakeholders across the Australian high-performance sport system.
Enabling athletes to achieve peak performances while also maintaining high levels of health is contextually complex. We aim to describe what a 'health system' is and apply the essential functions of stewardship, financing, provision of services and resource generation to an Australian high-performance sport context. We introduce a fifth function that health systems should not detract from athletes' ability to achieve their sports goals.
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- This study focuses on the incidence and prevalence of injuries and illnesses among short-course triathletes to help develop better prevention strategies.
- It reviewed 42 studies, finding that injury rates ranged from 15.7 to 24.3 per 1000 exposures, while illness rates varied from 1.8 to 13.1 per 1000 days, with most injuries happening during running.
- Key health issues identified include overuse injuries in lower limbs and gastrointestinal illnesses, along with cardiovascular conditions, often linked to environmental factors.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, incidence rate, and impact of injuries and illnesses among Australian Olympic and State Sailing Pathway athletes over a 12-month period of training and competition.
- A total of 92 athletes were monitored, revealing that 57.6% experienced injuries, primarily shoulder-related, with 14.3% leading to time loss, while 29.3% experienced illnesses, mainly respiratory infections.
- Females reported significantly more illnesses than males (3.6 times), though injury rates were similar across genders; these findings can guide future health strategies for athletes and suggest further research on performance impacts due to non-time-loss health issues.
Objectives: To report the medical attention and time-loss injury epidemiology of Australia's premier netball competition.
Design: Descriptive epidemiological study.
Methods: One-hundred and nineteen players in the Suncorp Super Netball league were under surveillance during three consecutive seasons (2017-2019), inclusive of pre-, in-, and post- season phases.
Objectives: To 1) investigate the incidence, prevalence, burden and characteristics of injuries; and 2) explore the frequency of physiotherapy and medical servicing for elite sports academy athletes over a 12-month season.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Methods: Medical attention and time-loss injuries were prospectively recorded by Physiotherapy and Medical (Sports Physician) staff for 94 athletes (72.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess sleep quality among elite athletes using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), providing normative data and comparing results across sex and sports.
- Out of 479 athletes surveyed, 52% had high PSQI scores, indicating poor sleep quality, with team sport athletes experiencing longer wait times to fall asleep but overall longer sleep length.
- Findings suggest that individual PSQI components, particularly sleep onset latency and perceived sleep quality, significantly impact overall scores, highlighting the need for regular assessments due to variability in sleep quality over time.
Background: The original subsequent injury categorisation (SIC-1.0) model aimed to classify relationships between chronological injury sequences to provide insight into the complexity and causation of subsequent injury occurrence. An updated model has recently been published.
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- The study aimed to analyze injury characteristics in elite sprint kayak athletes, explore the relationship between initial and subsequent injuries, and investigate differences in injuries between genders.
- Data were collected from 63 athletes over three years, revealing that 78% had sustained a total of 146 injuries, primarily affecting the upper limbs, especially the shoulder.
- Findings indicated that male athletes were more likely to be injured than female athletes, but there was no significant gender difference for subsequent injuries, suggesting a need for targeted injury prevention strategies in sprint kayaking.
Article Synopsis
- Injuries in rugby sevens are common, with a study conducted over two seasons showing that 81.1% of players sustained 365 injuries, resulting in an injury incidence rate (IIR) of 43.2 per 1,000 player-hours.
- The study involved 90 international players (55 men and 35 women) who were tracked for all injuries requiring medical attention, analyzing both match and training exposure through GPS data.
- Findings indicated that female players had a lower IIR than males but experienced different types and locations of injuries, with most subsequent injuries occurring at different sites than prior injuries.
Article Synopsis
- The SIC-1.0 model for categorizing subsequent sports injuries was updated to SIC-2.0 to enhance its effectiveness and ease of use in analyzing injury data.
- The new model includes two levels of categorization: one data-driven with eight injury types and a sequential level with 16 types based on clinical relevance.
- The SIC-2.0 model successfully categorized injuries from a study of elite rugby players, achieving 100% agreement between manual and automated coding methods.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of using a sphygmomanometer to measure hip strength through the adductor squeeze test and isometric hip abduction in Australian football players.
- Results showed moderate to high reliability when using the sphygmomanometer, with good consistency between different raters and repeated measurements.
- While the sphygmomanometer is a cost-effective and reliable tool, it may have limitations for stronger individuals due to a ceiling effect, where some participants reached the maximum measurement limit.
Article Synopsis
- - Previous injuries significantly increase the risk of sustaining a different type or location of lower limb injury in athletes, with specific injury histories like ACL tears leading to higher risks of related injuries, such as hamstring issues.
- - A systematic review of twelve studies revealed that not all previous injuries correlate with an increased injury risk; for instance, chronic groin injuries did not lead to a heightened risk for hamstring injuries.
- - The findings emphasize the importance of considering an athlete's injury history when creating prevention programs to reduce the chances of future injuries in different lower limb areas.
Background: Muscle strength measurement is a key component of physiotherapists' assessment and is frequently used as an outcome measure. A sphygmomanometer is an instrument commonly used to measure blood pressure that can be potentially used as a tool to assess isometric muscle strength.
Objective: To systematically review the evidence on the reliability and validity of a sphygmomanometer for measuring isometric strength of hip muscles.