Musculoskeletal Injuries in Navy Cadets

Abstract

According to the Translating Research into Injury Prevention Practice framework, prior to implement any preventive intervention, it is crucial to complete some steps: to conduct high quality and evidence based injury surveillance (step 1), to understand the injury risk factors associated with the context and target population (step 2) and to create interventions that target the risk factors found previously (step 3). In order to implement preventive interventions to reduce MSI incidence in a Brazilian Navy cadet’s cohort, the main purpose of this thesis was to complete steps 1 to 3 of the TRIPP framework. In Chapter 2 we investigated the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in Brazil and the differences between age and sex groups. Chapter 3 described the 12-month prevalence rate of self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms in Navy cadets comparing differences between sex and school year. In chapter 4 the intent was to provide normative data on commonly used physical performance tests that may be associated with MSIs in Navy cadets, and assess for sex and limb dominance differences. Chapter 5 investigated if 2D-video analysis is a reliable and valid method of measuring trunk and lower extremity frontal plane kinematics during athletics tasks. Chapter 6 investigated the reliability and validity of a popular wearable motion system for measurements of frontal plane knee motion in healthy adults during a single leg squat task. In chapter 7, it was conducted a prospective cohort study in order to investigate clinically-identified risk factors associated with acute and chronic musculoskeletal injury in a Brazilian Navy cadet cohort. Chapter 8 investigated the effect of Injury Prevention Program on landing biomechanics as they relate to the dominance theories of ACL injury. Finally, the last chapter of this thesis (Chapter 9) presents final considerations, including the main findings and clinical implications of the thesis as well as future research.