title: Competing with injuries: injuries prior to and during the 15th FINA World Championships 2013 (aquatics).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Injury and illness surveillance is the foundation for the development of prevention strategies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine injuries among the aquatic disciplines in the 4 weeks prior to and during the 2013 FINA World Championships.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was comprised of two components: (1) a retrospective athlete survey recording injuries in the 4 weeks prior to the Championships and (2) a prospective recording of injuries and illnesses by the medical teams of the participating countries and the local host medical team.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-third of the 1116 responding athletes reported an injury/physical complaint in the 4 weeks prior to the Championships. Significantly more women (36.7%) than men (28.6%) reported injuries. Divers reported the highest rate of injury/physical complaints (55.7%). At the start of the Championships, 70% of injured respondents (n=258) were still symptomatic; however, full participation was expected by 76%. During the Championships, 186 new injuries were reported (8.3/100 registered athletes) with the highest injury incidence rate in water polo (15.3/100 registered athletes). The most common injured body part was the shoulder (21%). A total of 199 illnesses were reported during the Championships (9.0/100 registered athletes) with the most common diagnosis of illness being gastrointestinal infection. Environmental exposure (allergy, otitis and jellyfish stings) was responsible for 27% of all illnesses in open water swimming.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Injuries pose a significant health risk for elite aquatic athletes. A prospective study would improve understanding of out-of-competition injuries. Future injury and illness surveillance at FINA World Championships is required to direct and measure the impact of prevention strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland International Olympic Committee (IOC), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Margo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mountjoy
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC), Zürich, Switzerland Schulthess Klinik, Zürich, Switzerland Hamburg Medical School (MSH), Germany.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Junge
authors.affiliation: University of Southampton, Southampton, Great Britain.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benjamen
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, Great Britain.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diop
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland Medicine Department, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gerrard
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Cees-Rein
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: van den Hoogenband
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Saul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.affiliation: Catholic University of San Antonio, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martinez-Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland Medicine Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Kyriakos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nanousis
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland Department of Sport Medicine, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Farhad Moradi
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Shahpar
authors.affiliation: Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), Lausanne, Switzerland Faculty of Biological Sciences, Catholic University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veloso
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van Mechelen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention (ACRISP), Federation University Australia, SMB Campus, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Evert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verhagen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology; D054874:Athletic Performance; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004242:Diving / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013550:Swimming / Q000293:injuries*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Elite performance; Illness; Injury; Prevention; Swimming