title: Painful conditions in the Achilles tendon region in elite badminton players.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of painful conditions in the Achilles tendon region in elite badminton players. The study group consisted of 66 players in the Swedish elite division (highest level) in badminton, 41 men (mean age, 24.4 years) and 25 women (mean age, 21.9 years). Twenty-one players (32%) reported the occurrence of a disabling painful condition in the Achilles tendon region during the previous 5 years, and 11 players (17%) had an ongoing painful condition. A majority of the painful conditions (12 of 21, or 57%) were described as involving the midportion of the Achilles tendon. The players who had a painful condition reported a significantly higher weekly training load as measured by the number of hours spent in total training, badminton training, and endurance and strength training. There were no differences in age, sex, and body mass index between the players with and without painful conditions in the Achilles tendon region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Sports Medicine, National Institute for Working Life, University Hospital of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fahlström
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lorentzon
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alfredson
mesh_terms: D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000328:Adult; D002062:Bursitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D015865:Racquet Sports / Q000293:injuries* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology