62
Return to Sport: Running Injuries in Student-Athletes: Summary
Table 1. Five Categories for Screening Risk Factors in Youth Athletes Lifestyle • Sleeping <8 hours/night • Smoking • Supplement use • Poor study postures Nutrition • Adequate energy availability • Lack of calcium rich foods/day Training • Sports specialization (running >8 months/year)
• >90 miles/week • Lack of rest days • Improper footwear
occurred over the last 2 years. For males, screening for signs of low testosterone is important, including loss of facial hair, sexual dysfunction, or loss of morning erections. Similarly, discussing proper sleep hygiene is important in youth athletes. Poor sleep affects every system of your body, including the ability to perceive pain. In youth athletes, specifically, sleeping <8 hours per night was associated with 1.7 times higher chance of injury. Risk Assessment Tools Table 2. Triad Cumulative Risk Assessment (Triad CRA) Six risk factors stratified into low (0), moderate (1), or high risk (2): • Low energy availability • Low BMI • Delayed menarche • Amenorrhea/oligomenorrhea • Low bone mineral density • Bone stress injury Total score : 0–1: Low risk 2–5: Moderate risk 6+ High risk
Energy deficiency/proper nutrition is a major topic to discuss with athletes as it can help predict risk for injuries. Generally, caloric intake required for female runners ranges from 30 to 45 kcal/kg of fat free mass to allow for proper energy availability. LEARNING TIP! Nutrition screening for youth
athletes may include a food diary and questions regarding energy levels and menstruations (for females).
There are two common tools (Tables 2 and 3) to help with categorizing athletes into low, moderate, and high risk. Those in the low risk category can continue training. Athletes in the moderate risk category require some modifications to their training, diet, or lifestyle and should require some medical clearance to train or compete. Finally, athletes in the high risk category should be restricted from training and competing until other issues are addressed. For females, asking about menstrual cycles can be very beneficial in determining overall energy availability to maintain the endocrine system. Questions should include date of first period, last period, and how often they have
Powered by FlippingBook