A systematic and critical evaluation of an individual athlete’s journey from injury/illness to return to competition with a critical appraisal of the value of pre-participation screening.
Required elements:
1) Define an individual athlete, sport and level of participation, type of injury/illness, and mechanism of injury/illness. (10% 325 words)
2) Critically evaluate the epidemiology of the specific injury/illness (incidence and severity), injury/illness risk factors, and mechanisms of injury/illness. (10% 325 words)
3) Critically evaluate appropriate interventions in acute injury/illness management and rehabilitation of the athlete. (25% 800 words)
4) Demonstrate a critical awareness of return to competition decision making. (25% 800 words)
5) Demonstrate a critical awareness of periodic medical assessment and pre- participation screening and critically evaluate the value of screening in identifying risk factors for the athlete’s injury. (25% 800 words)
6) Conclusion including: succinct summary of essay key points, quality of evidence base and highlight knowns, unknowns, future areas of investigation (5% 160 words)
Relevant case study:
Taberner, M., van Dyk, N., Allen, T., Jain, N., Richter, C., Drust, B., Betancur, E. and Cohen, D., 2020. Physical preparation and return to performance of an elite female football player following ACL reconstruction: a journey to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 6(1), p.e000843.
Must include relevant epidemiological evidence/data to provide a detailed overview of the epdimiology of ACL injuries in female football players (consider incidence rate, re-injury rate, risk factors in females etc.)
Consider pros and cons of surgery versus conservative management.
