Long-term disabilities and handicaps following sports injuries: outcome after outpatient treatment.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to investigate whether long-term disabilities and handicaps arise from a sports injury requiring outpatient treatment and to identify the potential risk factors.


METHODS
A representative sample was taken from a population of patients treated as outpatients due to a sports injury. The selected patients were sent a questionnaire, 2-5 years after the injury.


RESULTS
Thirty-nine percent of the patients studied were unable to work for up to 1 month after the injury, 19% were not able to work for up to 3 months and another 5% could not work for a maximum of 8 months. Participation in sporting activities was hampered for up to 1 year in 76% of the patients and 11% had not resumed sports participation at all. In addition, 20% of the population stated that they still suffered from disabilities and handicaps following the sports injury. The outcome of the SIP68 underlines these results. Nine percent of the patients had a sumscore larger than 0. The variables which could be identified as risk factors were the body region: knee and sex: female.


CONCLUSIONS
Sports injuries requiring outpatient treatment can lead to long-term disabilities and handicaps, especially in patients with knee injuries and injuries in women. On average these consequences are less severe than those associated with inpatients; however, this finding is of great value since the number of outpatients is much higher than in patients admitted to a hospital.
Dekker
R
R
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Groningen University Hospital, The Netherlands. R.Dekker@rev.azg.nl
Groothoff
J W
JW
van der Sluis
C K
CK
Eisma
W H
WH
Ten Duis
H J
HJ
D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors