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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06325228

Musculoskeletal Injuries, Sports Performance, Sports Specialization, and Quality of Life in Young Athletes

The primary aim of this observational cohort study is to assess sports specialization, sports performance, history of injuries (prevalence, types, areas, duration) and quality of life in young healthy athletes aged 8-16 from Poland. Athlete profiles will be created based on the variables (explained in detailed description) examined. Furthermore, the investigators will perform one-year injury follow-up.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Do athletes with a specific profile (lower values in athletic performance tests, low values in quality of life) evaluated at one time point, suffer injury in the future in annual observation? * Do athletes with high sports specialization will sustain injury in one-year follow-up? * Does sports specialization have a relationship with sports performance tests, and quality of life? * Does sport specialisation, training volume, geographical factor relate to injury history? * Does sports specialisation, injury history differ between sports (individual and team sports)? * Does value of the specific muscle (lower limb) isometric strength will be associated with the dynamic balance scores in young healthy athletes?

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Key information

Conditions

Sport Injury Athletic Injuries Healthy Injury;Sports Quality of Life Wounds and Injuries

Age range

8 year–16 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Department of Immunobiology and Environment Microbiology, Medical University of Gdańsk

Gdansk, 80-211, Poland

About this study

Recruited young healthy athletes (8-16 years-old) from sports schools, clubs, teams will invited to study. There will be performed assessment, which included:

  • participant characteristics (age, biological age, gender, height, weight, body mass index, sports experience, training workload, sports specialization, history of injuries)
  • sports performance (value of dynamic balance, isometric strength of lower limbs, functional movement patterns)
  • quality of life and health assessment (EQ-5D-Y)
  • geographical factor (Rural, Urban)
  • Sports (Individual, Team)
  • History of Injuries (Localization, Type)

One-year after meetings, there will be send questionaire and phone-call to participants and their coaches/parents in order to obtain information about injuries (location, type, time-loss, etc.).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy (without injury, pain, or symptoms)
  • Participation in sports activities (minimum 6 months)
  • Age of 8 to 16 years-old
  • Agreement to participation from parent/guardian

Exclusion criteria

  • pain or other symptoms related during study
  • lower extremity or trunk surgery in the last 6 months
  • lack of medical approval for participation in sports games

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants with sports injury after one-year follow-up

    Time frame: One year after the date of examination

    Dichotomous assessment (0 = no injury, 1 = injury) based on a telephone interview with the parent/guardian/coach. Conditions to meet: 12 months after the date of examination, and continuity of participation in sports to the date of injury

  2. Type, location, duration, and return to sports in participants with injury at one-year follow up

    Time frame: One year after the date of examination

    Assessment based on a telephone interview with the parent/guardian/coach.

    Questions about:

    • exact type of injury (acute or chronic, contact or non-contact)
    • location of injury (anatomic site, e.g. knee)
    • duration of injury (time-loss, in days)
    • return to sports (Does the participant return to sport, yes or no)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Sports Specialization

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Sports specialization defined as "intensive year-round training in a single sport at the exclusion of other sports". Where a highly specialized athlete may be able to (1) choose a main sport, (2) participate for greater than 8 months per year in 1 main sport, and (3) quit all other sports to focus on 1 sport.

  2. History of sports-related injuries

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Questionaire - Question about sports-related injuries within sports career (sports participating in trainings and competitions) which included:

    • - exact type of injury (acute or chronic, contact or non-contact)
    • location of injury (anatomic site, e.g. knee)
    • duration of injury (time-loss, in days)

    Answers will be performed from young athlete and coach. If there will be occasion, answers will be matched with answers from parents/guardians.

  3. Health-related quality of life: EQ-5D-Y

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Patient Reported Outcome instruments" EQ-5D-Y - EuroQol Research Foundation - Certified Translation: Polish for Poland. The EQ-5D is a widely used standardized generic measure of HRQOL. A valid and accurate translation of the corresponding original document. A child-friendly version of the EQ-5D (0-100 points, where "0" means the worse quality of life, and "100" means perfect). (EQ-5D is the name of the instrument and is not an acronym.)

  4. Y-Balance Test - dynamic balance test

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Dynamic Balance of the lower extremities (record as reach distance in centimeters "cm" and normalized reach distance in percentages "%")

  5. Functional Movement Screen (FMS)

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a screening tool used to identify limitations or asymmetries in movement patterns. FMS consists of 7 movement tasks (deep squat, lunges, hurdle steps, a push-up, straight-leg raises, shoulder mobility, and rotary stability). Each task will be visually assessed by an experienced physiotherapist and marked on a 4-point scale (0-3, worst-best). The total maximum score that can be obtained is 21 points.

  6. Hand-Held Dynamometer (HHD) measurement - Isometric Strength of the lower extremities muscle

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Hand-Held Dynamometer (HHD) measurement (Laffayette, USA). Isometric Strength (peak force, average force (kilograms), of the lower extremities muscle (gluteus medium, quadriceps, hamstring, triceps surae.

Other outcomes

  1. Sport workload (hours per trainings or competition)

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Sports and training volume (hours per trainings or competition, weekly)

  2. Peak Height Velocity

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Peak Height Velocity (PHV) calculated using the 'maturity offset' value (report as "PHV years") - Mirwald formula

  3. Sports discipline and position

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Sport discipline (e.g. soccer) and Sports position (e.g. on the soccer field: defender)

  4. Participants characteristics - Body Mass Index

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    weight and height will be combined to report BMI in kg/m^2

  5. Sports experience

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Sports experience (years, months)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Medical University of Gdansk

Other

Collaborators

  • Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland

Registry information

Official study title

Incidence and Relationshipis of Musculoskeletal Injuries, Sports Performance, Sports Specialization, and Quality of Life in Young Athletes. Project: "Science of Healthy Sport"

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Mar 22, 2024
Registry last updated
Dec 30, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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