Efficacy of Intervention Delivered by Physical Therapists to Heal Sports Injuries in Junior High School Students According to Frequency

Abstract

Objective: To clarify the difference in the efficacy of physical therapist-provided intervention to heal sports injuries in junior high school students depending on frequency.

Methods: A total of 1,232 junior high school students who underwent musculoskeletal examinations in 2018‒2021 were included. A physical therapist provided exercise guidance to students with sports injuries only once (at the time of the checkup in 2018‒2019; Group A) or multiple times (at the time of the checkup and monthly thereafter in 2020‒2021; Group B). The prevalence of sports injuries and re-injuries were compared between groups.

Results: The prevalence of sports injuries was significantly higher in Group A versus Group B (11.1 % vs. 7.6 %, respectively). Among the students with sports injuries, the rates of non-healing were 26.5 % and 6.9 %, while those of re-injury with other disease were 14.3 % and 2.3 %, significantly lower in Group B. No significant difference was noted in new cases of students without sports injuries and new cases of first-year students.

Conclusion: Increasing the frequency of intervention to monthly effectively healed sports injuries but was unable to prevent new injuries.