Hospital-treated snow sport injury in Victoria, Australia : A summary of 2003–2012
- Authors: Siesmaa, Emma , Clapperton, Angela , Twomey, Dara
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Wilderness and Environmental Medicine Vol. 29, no. 2 (2018), p. 194-202
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduction: To determine the incidence rate and changes over time for ice and snow sports injury in Victoria, Australia, from 2003 to 2012 and describe the most common types and causes of these injuries. Methods: Retrospective data from the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit describing hospital admissions and emergency department presentations were extracted for the 10-year period of 2003 to 2012 for all ice- and snow-related injury. Descriptive injury data and participation-adjusted trend analyses using log-linear regression modelling of data (statistical significance, P<0.05) from the Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey 2003 to 2010 are presented. Results: Overall, there were 7387 ice- and snow-related injuries, with a significant increase in hospital-treated snowboard injuries and a (nonsignificant) decline in hospital-treated ski injuries over the 10 years. Skiing (39%) and snowboarding (37%) had the highest incidence of hospital-treated injury, with males aged 15 to 24 years injured most frequently in both sports. Falls were the most common cause of injury in both skiing (68%) and snowboarding (78%). Conclusions: Patterns of snow sports injury in Australia during 2003 to 2012 remain similar to findings of national studies conducted decades earlier. More importantly, however, Australian injury patterns are comparable to international statistics and thus may be generalizable internationally. Head injuries, although infrequent, are associated with great injury severity due to a high frequency of hospitalization. Furthermore, research into the use of personal protective equipment and other injury prevention measures among Australian participants, particularly by young, male snowboarders, is required. Given the similar injury patterns, injury prevention measures implemented internationally could reasonably translate to an Australian setting.
Abrasion testing on synthetic turf : A modified device
- Authors: Lenehan, Kurt , Twomey, Dara
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology Vol. 230, no. 4 (2016), p. 280-284
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Despite the improved quality of synthetic turf surfaces, players are still expressing their discontent with the perceived greater risk of sustaining abrasion injuries on them relative to natural turf. The validity of the current device, the Securisport®, used to measure the abrasiveness of synthetic turf playing surfaces has been challenged based on its unrealistic interaction with the surface throughout testing. It rotates on the surface at a speed of 40 ± 1 r/min. The aim of this study was to compare the abrasion measurements from the current Securisport device with those from a modified device. The modified device moved across the surface in a linear direction at a speed of 5 m/s, replicating a soccer slide tackle. Data were captured for three trials for each device on three different surfaces: sand-only infill, low-rubber infill and high-rubber infill. Overall, it was found that there was a significant mean abrasion difference of 51.7% between the two devices (p = 0.02) and also significant differences resided between the two devices at specific infill levels. The results of this study found that the specific modifications to the current Securisport device, substantially changed abrasion measurements on synthetic turf, therefore illustrating the need for further work to improve the validity of the Securisport. © IMechE 2015.
One, two, three or four: Does the number of Clegg hammer drops alter ground hardness readings on natural grass?
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Ullah, Shahid , Petrass, Lauren
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology Vol. 228, no. 1 (2014), p. 33-39
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Clegg hammer is currently used to measure hardness of natural turf surfaces to inform performance and safety decisions. However, the number of Clegg hammer drops reported in natural grass testing varies from one to four drops, and the impact of the choice of the number of drops is unknown. The aim of this article is to determine whether significant differences exist between the four Clegg hammer drops on natural grass across a variety of conditions. Hardness readings (using a 2.25 kg Clegg hammer), soil moisture and botanical composition were recorded at nine different sites on seven football fields during an 18-week playing season. A total of 1255 hardness readings were collected for each of four consecutive Clegg hammer drops. Overall, there were significant differences between drop 1 and the other three consecutive drops, on all fields and on all sites. Deep soil moisture was the only factor that significantly influenced the hardness readings. The results of this study demonstrate that the decision regarding the number of drops recorded needs careful consideration as conclusions drawn on playability of a ground or the association with injury risk may vary considerably depending on the number of drops. © 2013 IMechE.
Challenges in the development of standards for synthetic turf for Australian football and cricket
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology Vol. 225, no. 2 (June 2011 2011), p. 93-101
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Given the escalating drought conditions in Australia, synthetic surfaces have recently been explored as a viable surface option for community-level Australian football-cricket ovals. The vast majority of Australian football ovals are transformed into cricket pitches during the football off-season and hence the characteristics of both sports had to be duly considered in the development of standards that could be tested in a laboratory setting, for a synthetic turf surface. This paper describes the data collection and test methods undertaken in the development of the standards for synthetic surface use in Australian football and cricket. The paper also discusses the issues and challenges encountered during the development of standards for multi-sport synthetic surfaces to ensure player safety while maintaining the performance characteristics of both sports. Surface property and ball interaction tests were undertaken on natural playing surfaces, both in situ and in the laboratory to determine the properties of the current playing surface for each sport. This paper highlights the importance of careful consideration of the characteristics of both games and the use of equipment from both sports in the testing methods. The standards described in this paper have now been accepted by the Australian Football League and Cricket Australia and the product approval process and use of synthetic surfaces for Australian football and cricket is imminent.
Reliability of equipment for measuring the ground hardness and traction
- Authors: Twomey, Dara , Otago, Leonie , Ullah, Shahid , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology Vol. 225, no. 3 (2011), p. 131-137
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The aim of this paper is to report the inter-rater reliabilities and intra-rater reliabilities of the Clegg hammer, penetrometer, and studded-boot apparatus used for measuring the mechanical properties of natural turf, and to determine whether the level of experience influences the reliability. Three experienced and three novice testers measured the surface hardness and rotational traction at nine locations on a community-level Australian football oval. A repeated-measures analysis of variance tested for significant differences between the six testers for all equipment, and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to determine the inter-rater reliabilities and intra-rater reliabilities. The ICCs for the reliability between the six testers ranged between 0.77 and 0.87 for the Clegg hammer, ranged between 0.55 and 0.73 for the penetrometer, and equalled 0.51 for the studded-boot apparatus. The inter-rater reliabilities and intra-rater reliabilities were greater for the experienced testers than for the novice testers for the Clegg hammer and penetrometer but the novice testers produced greater inter-rater reliabilities for the studded-boot apparatus. This study highlights the potential variability that can exist between testers using the ground hardness and traction equipment, which has implications for future research involving multiple testers both in agronomic-based studies and in linking the surface properties to the injury risk across multiple venues. © Authors 2011.